FeatureWe Love You Liverpool: Meet Official LFC Supporters Club… Orange County

The Reds’ fan base is famous for its passion and loyalty, cheering on both the men’s and women’s squads whether on Merseyside or watching from afar.

Our We Love You Liverpool feature aims to bring supporters closer together to learn more about each other wherever they are based around the globe.

Whether in the UK and Republic of Ireland, on Merseyside itself, in North or South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia or elsewhere, fans provide the very foundations that the club is built on.

Here, we meet OLSC Orange County based in California, USA...

Tell us about the OLSC; how was it formed?

Our branch of the OLSC tree was formed in 2012 when a couple of local fans called upon their fellow Reds to join them and watch LFC matches at the pub that they worked in; the London Pub in Costa Mesa, CA. The membership quickly grew as the word got out and we now have over 500 active members with a core group of around 50 members that get to the pub for almost every event.

How special is it to have the supporters club where you are?

It is a great honour to have a local supporters club for supporters to get together and follow our beloved Liverpool FC together as a family. We are lucky to have a home for us to get together to watch the matches with our fellow Reds. We have several members who come in from neighbouring counties where they do not have a group to join. It's nice to be able to host traveling fans and have them join us to watch matches when they are in town. Our members who travel abroad always come back being more grateful to have what we are.

It must give you a sense of community and connection to Liverpool and the club itself?

We take great pride in living up to the 'Liverpool Way' and welcoming fans of all backgrounds to join our LFC family here in Orange County, CA. It can be so difficult to support a team that plays so far away and being with other supporters makes the experience so much more fulfilling. It is invaluable to have fellow Reds that understand what it means to support Liverpool and to share the good times and the bad times with. There have been so many great friendships and relationships forged amongst us over the years.

What is so special about supporting Liverpool for your members?

Supporting Liverpool FC is about being a part of a great history of a great club with great values that we all hold dear to our hearts. We feel that it is important to hold true to those values and work for the benefit of our fellow Reds. To have a place that we all feel welcome and safe to support the club that we all love.

Do you hold meet-ups for games, or any special events throughout the year?

Our chapter hosts events for each match of the season where we get together to watch the matches as a family. We have partnered with local pubs to open early so our members have a home to support the club. We have events that start as early as 4.30am that still bring in 50 people or more for some matches.

Has the OLSC ever visited Anfield? If so, what was the experience like?

We have several members that have been lucky enough to be able to travel to Anfield for a match over the years. Those who do, they come back from Anfield sharing awesome stories of their time there. They always talk about how great the atmosphere is in the stadium and also how amazing the people are and the city is to be in. Everything from the stadium tours to the local attractions are always described as being a wonderful experience. We are working to be able to organise trips to visit Liverpool as a group. Hopefully one day we can send a couple of lucky members out to Anfield each year.

What is your favourite memory together as an OLSC?

We have had some incredible memories together over the years. From the huge matchday events for cup finals and matches against our big rivals to getting together to bid Jürgen [Klopp] goodbye. The best so far has been our recent game versus Tottenham where we clinched the Premier League title. The pub was absolutely packed with several hundred fans all jumping for joy and singing our songs. The atmosphere was utterly amazing!

Lastly, if anyone else is interested in joining your OLSC, how would they go about doing so?

We love to have more Reds join our LFC family and they can find us on our socials. They can also reach out to the OLSC team who will put them in touch with us or email us directly at olscorangecounty@gmail.com.

OLSC info

Name: OLSC Orange County

Location: Orange County, California, USA

Home: Buffalo Wild Wings, 14110 Culver Dr, Irvine, CA 92604

X: @OLSC_OC

Facebook: OLSC Orange County

Instagram: OLSC Orange County