Reclaim The Kop
Encyclopedia
Reclaim The Kop, often referred to as RTK, is a campaign among fans of Liverpool Football Club
to restore the matchday atmosphere within The Kop specifically, and Anfield
more generally. It was established by a group of Liverpool fans in October 2006, and publicly launched in January 2007.
match between Liverpool and Bordeaux
on October 31, 2006, at which the group's instigators felt disappointed with the formulaic and disrespectful nature of the chants and songs used by Liverpool supporters. The campaign was subsequently formed as a means of promoting and disseminating traditional Liverpool fan songs, and generally campaigning for an improved atmosphere at Anfield
, with greater levels of fan participation. In particular, the campaign claims that it intends to educate supporters about the uniqueness of Liverpool fan culture, and to offset the influence of sources of generic football fan culture, in particular the Sky Sports
show Soccer AM
.
's local press, and was reported on and discussed on local radio stations such as Radio City
.
On January 6, 2007, Reclaim the Kop organised a protest during the third round FA Cup
match between Liverpool and Arsenal
, which was broadcast live on the BBC
. The intention of the protest, which was dubbed 'Truth Day', was to highlight the anger of Liverpool fans that the BBC had employed Kelvin MacKenzie
as a presenter, in spite of his comments during late 2006 that he did not feel any regret that while working as editor of The Sun
he had published an article in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster
which fabricated claims about the behaviour of Liverpool fans- including that fans had urinated on police and stolen from the bodies of the dying. The claims made in the story were subsequently found to be untrue and dismissed by the Taylor Report
. On the day of the protest 12,000 fans in the Kop were given cards to hold up, forming a mosaic
spelling out the words "The Truth". The mosaic was visible while Liverpool supporters chanted "Justice for the 96" for six minutes, signifying the length of time that the Hillsborough game played on for before being abandoned. In addition to being visible during the BBC's transmission of the match, the protest was widely reported in national newspapers.
The Reclaim The Kop group were responsible for the demonstration in support of the club manager, Rafa Benitez, in November 2007. The demonstration is widely regarded as being a huge success. . Massive tv and newspaper coverage saw images of several thousand fans parading round the streets of Anfield in support of their manager, and in protest against the unpopular regime of then club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. The march and demo is featured in the film 'Passport to Liverpool' as an example of how Liverpool people will bond and take to the streets when faced with injustice and adversity.
Reclaim The Kop are currently engaged in expanding the so-called '306 section' at the rear of the Spion Kop at Anfield. Several hundred supporters - the RTK and likeminded fans - relocated their season tickets to this block in the famous Kop in the summer of 2007. It was so that fans who shared the same ideas and wanted to help promote the Kop's traditions could sit (or stand) together. It resulted in an improvement in both the volume, and the quality, of the vocal support from The Kop. Several old songs have made their reappearance amongst The Kop's repertoire and the RTK were responsible for the Fernando Torres song and its accompanying 'bounce'.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
to restore the matchday atmosphere within The Kop specifically, and Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
more generally. It was established by a group of Liverpool fans in October 2006, and publicly launched in January 2007.
Formation
The Reclaim the Kop campaign attributes its origins to a UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
match between Liverpool and Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
on October 31, 2006, at which the group's instigators felt disappointed with the formulaic and disrespectful nature of the chants and songs used by Liverpool supporters. The campaign was subsequently formed as a means of promoting and disseminating traditional Liverpool fan songs, and generally campaigning for an improved atmosphere at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
, with greater levels of fan participation. In particular, the campaign claims that it intends to educate supporters about the uniqueness of Liverpool fan culture, and to offset the influence of sources of generic football fan culture, in particular the Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
show Soccer AM
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
.
Activities
The group and its aims were initially promoted by the official Liverpool F.C. website, which published a series of "Reclaim the Kop" articles highlighting and encouraging the uniqueness of Liverpool's support through features such as photographs of homemade banners, poems, and recordings of fans singing various traditional Liverpool football songs, with karaoke style displays of the words to help visitors to the site to "learn and sing" and join in. This promotion, however, did not run for the 10 weeks that had been originally planned and was dropped by the club's official website. The launch of the campaign briefly attracted the attention of LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
's local press, and was reported on and discussed on local radio stations such as Radio City
Radio City 96.7
Radio City 96.7 is a British Independent Local Radio station, based in Liverpool, that serves Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales...
.
On January 6, 2007, Reclaim the Kop organised a protest during the third round FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match between Liverpool and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, which was broadcast live on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. The intention of the protest, which was dubbed 'Truth Day', was to highlight the anger of Liverpool fans that the BBC had employed Kelvin MacKenzie
Kelvin MacKenzie
Kelvin Calder MacKenzie is an English media executive and former newspaper editor. He is best known for being editor of The Sun newspaper between 1981 and 1994, an era in which the paper was established as Britain's best selling newspaper.- Biography :MacKenzie was educated at Alleyn's School...
as a presenter, in spite of his comments during late 2006 that he did not feel any regret that while working as editor of The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
he had published an article in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
which fabricated claims about the behaviour of Liverpool fans- including that fans had urinated on police and stolen from the bodies of the dying. The claims made in the story were subsequently found to be untrue and dismissed by the Taylor Report
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report, better known as the Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Taylor of Gosforth, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. An interim report was published in August 1989, and the final...
. On the day of the protest 12,000 fans in the Kop were given cards to hold up, forming a mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
spelling out the words "The Truth". The mosaic was visible while Liverpool supporters chanted "Justice for the 96" for six minutes, signifying the length of time that the Hillsborough game played on for before being abandoned. In addition to being visible during the BBC's transmission of the match, the protest was widely reported in national newspapers.
The Reclaim The Kop group were responsible for the demonstration in support of the club manager, Rafa Benitez, in November 2007. The demonstration is widely regarded as being a huge success. . Massive tv and newspaper coverage saw images of several thousand fans parading round the streets of Anfield in support of their manager, and in protest against the unpopular regime of then club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. The march and demo is featured in the film 'Passport to Liverpool' as an example of how Liverpool people will bond and take to the streets when faced with injustice and adversity.
Reclaim The Kop are currently engaged in expanding the so-called '306 section' at the rear of the Spion Kop at Anfield. Several hundred supporters - the RTK and likeminded fans - relocated their season tickets to this block in the famous Kop in the summer of 2007. It was so that fans who shared the same ideas and wanted to help promote the Kop's traditions could sit (or stand) together. It resulted in an improvement in both the volume, and the quality, of the vocal support from The Kop. Several old songs have made their reappearance amongst The Kop's repertoire and the RTK were responsible for the Fernando Torres song and its accompanying 'bounce'.