FeatureHow the legacy of a Liverpool great lives on in the Scottish town of Linlithgow
A youth football tournament in honour of Liverpool great George Allan stages its 33rd edition this week.
This year's George Allan Memorial Football Festival takes place on Sunday (May 11) in his hometown of Linlithgow, Scotland.
It involves teams of primary school children from the local area in honour of Allan, who enjoyed a storied three seasons as a Reds player in the late 19th century.
Allan's hugely promising football career was cut short by tuberculosis, which he died from in October 1899. He was only 24.
His impact on football on both sides of the border was massive during his all-too-brief life.
Indeed, Allan's achievements at Liverpool are referenced to this day.
He remains the fastest player in the club's history to reach the 30-goal mark, requiring just 27 appearances. Mohamed Salah, next-best in this ranking, was nine outings slower in 2018.
Allan also scored the first goals when Liverpool decided to change its colours from blue to the red now renowned all over the world.
'Dod', as he was known, arrived at Anfield in 1985 and his 25 goals from just 20 matches fired his new side to the 1895-96 Second Division title.
The 106 goals scored during the run to that triumph remains the club's highest total in a league season.
More strikes followed in the campaign after – leading Tom Watson's team as captain and top scorer with 17 – as he then became the first Red to be capped by Scotland.
That moment came about a month before Allan moved back to Scotland by joining Celtic, though he would not be away from Merseyside for too long.
Liverpool still held onto his registration and paid £50 to bring him back for the 1898-99 season.
His 11 goals that term helped the Reds finish runners-up in the First Division, and that proved to be his last contribution on the pitch.
Allan was unable to report for pre-season training ahead of 1899-00 and would pass away a few months later.
His memory lives on, however, in an annual celebration of his life.
The 2025 George Allan Memorial Football Festival will once again be hosted at Linlithgow Rose's Prestonfield stadium.
The seven-a-side tournament has seen a number of its alumni go on to forge careers in the professional game, with Scott Banks (FC St Pauli), James Wilson (Heart of Midlothian) and Kerr Robertson (Rangers) all featuring in previous years.
Twelve teams will be involved this year and Linlithgow Primary School will be looking to retain the George Allan Memorial Trophy.