The Sandon, the Anfield pub where Liverpool FC was founded in 1892, remains a pilgrimage site for fans worldwide, with thousands visiting for the club's first home game of the season. General manager Daniel Claeys, who took on the role 18 months ago, spoke to the ECHO about the pub's unique story and its place in the city's identity.
A historic birthplace and a converted fan
Claeys, 42, came from a hospitality background running hotels and took a break before his friend Kate Stewart, who previously had the pub, offered him the chance to get involved. "It's the best decision I've ever made," he said. "I wasn't that interested in football. But now I'm obsessed."
He described the atmosphere on matchdays as electric, adding: "It's like a separate bit of Anfield stadium, a stone's throw away." The pub, on Oakfield Road, is where John Houlding signed the documents that founded Liverpool FC, and a table and chair from that moment remain on display for visitors.
From Everton's base to Liverpool's birthplace
Before its Liverpool FC association, The Sandon was the headquarters of Everton in the 1880s, where the team changed for matches at Anfield. Houlding, a brewer, opened the pub in 1870 to sell his beers. He became involved with St Domingo's, which became Everton in 1879, and suggested they play near his pub when new regulations required enclosed grounds. A rent dispute led Everton to move away, and Houlding set up another team to fill the stadium.
Claeys said the pub's history gives it deep meaning for fans: "Being the birthplace of LFC, it's got a true meaning to Liverpool fans from all over the world. We have fans from every point of the world you could imagine that come here on matchday."
Community and charity at the heart
On non-matchdays, The Sandon operates a function room and hosts funerals, a responsibility Claeys takes seriously. "I do make sure a funeral is a celebration of life and every detail is done to a tee," he said. He recalled a terminally ill fan whose bucket list included visiting The Sandon, and the pub's role in such moments.
Claeys also highlighted the pub's community work, including a charity fundraiser to supply 300 children from underprivileged families with new school uniforms. "We've got a responsibility to do stuff like that," he said. "You've got to look after the people that are struggling."
The pub's walls are adorned with memorabilia from fan Ernie Ashley, and regulars have welcomed Claeys warmly. "The way the regulars have taken me in has been amazing," he said. "I'm in WhatsApp groups with them now and become mates with them." He added that fans from around the world feel at home before they arrive, recalling a fan festival in Norway where a man cried when given a t-shirt.
The Sandon, which has also served as a cinema in the 1980s, was recently repainted Liverpool red. Claeys is looking ahead: "Last year I was settling in, this year I am going all out."
