Former Liverpool FC CEO Peter Moore has hit back against negative stereotypes of Scousers, calling them 'ridiculous' and expressing his deep pride in his Liverpool roots. Speaking to the ECHO during a return to the city to collect an honorary degree from the University of Liverpool, Moore, 71, reflected on his upbringing on Scotland Road and the stigmatisation of Liverpudlians.
Moore, whose career has included senior roles at Reebok, Microsoft, Sega, and EA Sports, said: 'I was a little bit angry with the stigma that we had as Scousers in that period during the 1970s and 80s. From that perspective, even though I was already living in America, I would come home and see the way we were portrayed. You'd say to somebody in London "I'm going to Liverpool" and they would come back with the usual "Well, watch out for your hubcaps," and "They're going to nick your wallet" and all of that ridiculous stuff. The perception was very much that we were a bunch of thieves.'
He added: 'That went into the tragedy chanting, whether it was Heysel or Hillsborough, we were accused of everything. This came out of the kind of tough times we had in the post-war years, in the 50s and the 60s. I've always taken the positives of being a Liverpudlian, and I've always tried to defend who we are, rather than accept the ridiculousness of the jibes and the jabs and the accusations and this stigmatisation of Liverpudlians as a bunch of scallies and thieves. I've always rebelled against that.'
Early Life and Career Journey
Moore left Liverpool at age 10 to move to Wrexham, later working as a PE teacher in Llangollen before moving to the US in the mid-1980s. His big break came with a role at Reebok, followed by positions as president of Sega America, and senior roles at Microsoft's Xbox and EA Sports. Despite living abroad for decades, Moore emphasised that the values instilled in him in Liverpool have never left him.
'I look back with a certain level of poignancy, thinking "I am so glad I was born here, I'm so glad that I went through what I did at a young age, in a working-class family." My mum and dad worked their fingers to the bone to make a better life for us, my mum working as a nurse and my dad a pub owner,' he said. 'What we have culturally as Liverpudlians, coming out of World War II, is this sense of we're not going to let this get us down, we're going to actually make fun of it. There's a lot of self-confidence, there's also self-belief, everything the city has been through. I think you have that circle the wagons around each other, the People's Republic of Liverpool type thing, and the Scouse personality is unique.'
Return to Liverpool and LFC CEO Role
In 2017, an unexpected phone call from a headhunter led Moore to return to Liverpool as CEO of Liverpool Football Club. He recalled: 'A headhunter calls me saying "Would you ever move back to the UK?" and I remember looking out of the window at home in San Francisco, the sun's shining, the palm trees were swaying, and I said "Heck no" but she said "What if it's to be CEO of Liverpool Football Club?" Quite firmly, that is the only job that would ever have brought me back to the UK.'
During his tenure from 2017 to 2020, Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020. Moore said: 'I remember thinking right there and then, I wish my dad was still alive to hear this. And then secondly, remembering him taking me to Anfield in 1959, and imparting upon me the love of a football club that has stayed with me all my life.'
Giving Back to the City
Moore and his wife Debbie have supported numerous causes, including Fans Supporting Foodbanks, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Clatterbridge Cancer Hospital, Anfield Sports and Community Centre, and the LFC Foundation. The couple have now launched a scholarship at the University of Liverpool, available each year to a local student. Moore was also awarded an honorary degree from the university.
Debbie Moore said: 'Coming over here and living here for almost four years and falling in love with the city, when we learned of this nomination, we wanted to be able to use it as a platform to give back once again and to help students at the university. We thought it was a great opportunity for us to get involved with the university and to give a scholarship which will pay for the annual tuition fees of a student. Then hopefully they will be able to give back in the city in the same way that me and Peter both have.'
