The sign was designed to psychologically intimidate opposing teams and remind Liverpool players of the club’s standard
The original "This is Anfield" sign was hung above the players tunnel by Bill Shankly in 1972
The original "This is Anfield" sign was hung above the players tunnel by Bill Shankly in 1972(Image: Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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A piece of Liverpool FC history is being put up for auction. The original "This is Anfield" sign was hung above the players tunnel by Bill Shankly all the way back in 1972, coinciding with the team's extremely successful 1972/73 season, when they won both the Football League and the UEFA Cup.
The sign was later removed from the stadium. Roy Evans, who took over as manager in 1994, gifted it to former youth player turned hotelier Ron Wilson, who gave it pride of place at the Rutland Hotel on the Isle of Man.
The sign remained on the island for more than 20 years. Now the well-preserved piece of history has returned to Liverpool at last, as the Wilson family have decided to offer it for auction following Ron's death in December 2022.
Auctioned by BUDDS sports memorabilia auction house, the sign is expected to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000 when it goes up for sale next week.
On its website, a BUDDS spokesman said: "The original 'This Is Anfield' sign was first hung in the old main stand players tunnel in 1972. It was the idea of a groundsman at the club who brought the suggestion to club secretary, Peter Robinson for approval.
"It was designed to psychologically intimidate opposing teams and remind Liverpool players of the club’s standard. Originally supposed to say 'Welcome To Anfield', manager Bill Shankly rejected the original wording as being too friendly and instead changed it to 'This Is Anfield'.
"It’s commonly accepted that the original version of the sign was taken down and replaced by newly appointed manager Bob Paisley in 1974 for a new one with an updated design, but dated photo evidence from the signing photos of Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish and Frank McGarvey show the sign wasn’t actually removed from the tunnel until 1979, which means it was still in the tunnel for LFC’s two first European Cups and three more First Division titles.
"When the time came to replace the old sign it was taken by former player and manager Roy Evans and gifted to Ronald (Ron) Wilson, a former player of LFC boys team.
"Ron was contacted by Roy about having something he may be interested in and to go and join him at a reserves game he was manager for at the time.
"From Liverpool but now living on the Isle Of Man, Ron with his wife Doreen and children Ian and Lynn made the trip over to Liverpool to meet with Roy, with Ron joining Roy in the dugout and Doreen, Ian and Lynn watching from the stands. After the game the sign was handed over to Ron and brought back to the Isle of Man.
"From 1979-2000 the sign was hung in the bar of the Rutland, a hotel in Douglas owned by the Wilson family. Before it was installed it had an aluminium frame fitted for preservation. After the hotel was sold the sign was then passed down to Ian and Lynn, the current owners of the sign, and was then placed into storage.
"After years in storage it was then hung on display in Ian’s office at work from the mid 2010s until his retirement in early 2026, and was placed back into storage permanently."
Former Anfield stadium announcer George Sephton advertised the upcoming auction on his X account, Voice Of Anfield, prompting passionate responses from a number of fans.
One fan said: "One thing for sure is that the This Is Anfield sign should never ever be sold, never leave the stadium!! That, right there, is Pure LFC History!!"
Several fans said the sign should be kept in a museum, while another said: "Surely the club is going to bid for this??!!"