The Passion Grows....

Anfield - Home to Liverpool F.C.

After playing in that first game I was hooked. I didn't want to play any other sport. Like they say in poker, I was all in.

Although I had not played much football growing up, I was always interested in the game and had a fondness for Liverpool Football Club. I was lucky enough to witness my first live game at Anfield (Liverpool's home ground) during the 1990 - 1991 season. I was in the very passionate standing room only section at the end of the ground nicknamed "The Kop", so named due to its steep nature, resembling a hill near Ladysmith, South Africa that was the scene of the Battle of Spion Kop in the Second Boer War.

In 1994 many stadiums in England were switched to all-seaters following the Taylor Report on the Hillsborough Disaster, the horrific incident which saw 96 Liverpool fans crushed to death in the old caged-in, pen style standing room only section of Hillsborough Stadium. Having watched my first ever game in the old standing room only Kop, I can tell you that it was exhilarating, but I must admit, I feel much safer when I am in the Kop today....

I have been very fortunate to have had the ability to fly over to England from Canada to see LFC play on several occasions over the years. Seeing the games in person has just fueled the fire more. The passion that the supporters have for the club is astonishing. I struggle to express to people what it feels like to be a Kopite at one of these big matches. It's just something you have to witness for yourself to "get it".

One of my highlight games was the 2005 Champions League Semi Final, 2nd leg match vs Chelsea at Anfield. The build up to this game was as good as it gets. Chelsea was managed by one of the most outrageously arrogant men in world football, Jose Mourinho. He was the guy that everybody loved to hate. His press conferences were priceless. One of his famous quotes is him referring to himself as "The Special One".

Liverpool was one win away from a return to a European final. The Reds Captain and local boy Steven Gerard, was quoted just days before the match as saying, "Anfield is the best place for big European nights by a mile. It is an incredible atmosphere, and we need that - we know exactly what role the fans can play, and we know how the team must play." "It could be awesome. It is going to be a great spectacle for everyone, I just hope come the final whistle we will be celebrating."

With that kind of build up, I HAD to go to that game. I tried desperately to find someone to go to the game with me, but to no avail. The game was on Tuesday May 3rd in Liverpool. On Sunday May 1st I woke up at my home in Calgary, Alberta and I was in a foul mood. My wife Stacey asked me what was wrong. I told her that I was gutted that I couldn't find anyone to go to the game with me. Annoyed at my mood, she told me "You're the one that is passionate about the team, if you want to go to the game, go to the game!". That was all that I needed to hear. I ran downstairs got online and searched for a game ticket, an airline ticket, a rental car and a hotel. By 10:00 that night I was on a plane headed for England. The game was everything that the build up promised and more. Liverpool ended up winning on what is now referred to as the "phantom goal" scored or not scored by Luis Garcia.

Sitting in traffic after the match, I listened to former Liverpool legends (who have lived it all in Liverpool's glory days in the 70's and 80's), rave about how that was the greatest atmosphere that they have ever witnessed at Anfield... The next morning, Wednesday May 4th, I was on the plane heading back home for dinner.

It was one of the greatest nights of my life, and to this day, I get goose bumps and teary eyes every time I share the story.

Here are the last few seconds just before the full time whistle. The crowd is singing the clubs world famous anthem - You'll Never Walk Alone.