“Sometimes I think my life has revolved around Liverpool, instead of my wife and kids. But as a Liverpool fan, I couldn’t have wished for anything better.”

To many, George Sephton is merely the man who announces the substitutes and added time at Anfield on a Matchday. But in his 49 years working as the ‘Voice of Anfield’, he has made himself a part of the furniture at one of the biggest football clubs in the world. We sat down with the George to talk about his life, his time at Liverpool FC, and his influence and love for Mersey Music.

It’s a cold Thursday morning in Liverpool city center as we make our way to the Philharmonic Pub. Its cultural significance to the city cannot be understated. Neither can the importance of this area to Liverpool Legend and world-renowned ‘Voice of Anfield’ George Sephton. He went to school just around the corner at the buildings now currently occupied by the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.



George speaks very fondly of his school days, “When I was there my mate and I used to sneak downstairs and watch some lads practicing chords on their big guitars. One was called Paul McCartney, one was George Harrison. That taught me a valuable lesson-they were young kids looking to make their way in the world”

A lifelong Liverpool fan himself, George is quick to say that his role as stadium announcer at Anfield, the second longest serving person in the role in England, is a “dream come true” for him. Having started in the role in 1971, George told us how it was a mix of good fortune, egging on from his wife, and someone in the role of PA who wasn’t very good at it, which led him to get the gig:

“One European night, just as (Liverpool) were about to take a penalty he came over the tannoy asking someone to move their car. I’d been moaning about how rubbish he was when my wife said ‘I’d like to see you do any better’, so I thought I’d send a letter to try and get the gig.” As we know, the rest is history.



George is one of only two people working at the top levels of the club who were there the last time Liverpool won the league, “it’s just me and the kitman left” he told us. With Liverpools coronation as champions of England looking all-but-confirmed for May, this is a sentence that won’t ring true for much longer.

Everyone involved with Liverpool are more than happy to acknowledge just how important George is to the club, “I got a message from Peter Moore (Liverpool FC’s CEO”” he tells us. “He’s obviously had a few drinks at this fundraising dinner. He’s sat with all the big-wigs, people like Kenny (Dalglish), and they’re all discussing what songs I might play when we win the league.”

Taking a step back, this is a massive responsibility to be put on anyone’s shoulders, but taking into account the fact that this club has waited 30 years for this seemingly illusive piece of silverware, the responsibility to cut the right mood is even more important.

No one is better qualified for this responsibility than George, who beamed as he told us about how both The Kop and the rest of the world reacted to his decision to play ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon in the moments after Liverpool’s iconic 4-0 in last years Champions League Semi-final, a competition which they would go on to win in Madrid the following month:

“The whole squad lined up in front of the Kop (as I played You’ll Never walk Alone at full-time) and after that I knew nobody would be moving anytime soon. I just banged on ‘Imagine’ and the whole Kop joined in.

“For days afterwards I was getting messages. Piers Morgan called me a genius on TV the next day and a guy in Sydney said he was in a casino watching the game and it had a bunch of burley Australian farmers in tears singing. Things like that make it all worthwhile”

George has always been one to push local artists in his role. A quick scan of his setlist from Liverpool’s last home game against West Ham shows his support for local acts such as Camelphat, Jamie Webster and The Mysterines. As well as that, he always gives airtime to some of the city’s most iconic acts, this match in particular included plays for George Harrison and The Coral. Never one to underestimate the impact playing a song at Anfield can have, George told us that “A couple of bands have said openly that they owe their career to me, which is very nice. I just look at is as putting something back.”

In recent years, the role of stadium announcer has changed significantly at Anfield. The introduction of VAR into the game, as well as the updating and modernization of the scoreboard inside Anfield has left George with more work to do on matchdays. He told us he was relieved this year when the club brough in someone specifically to run the screens when VAR was being used during matches, as when he had been in charge of it last season he said he found the whole thing very stressful. Looking ahead into the coming years at Liverpool, George says that the planned expansion of Anfield could give him a new aspiration, “this is my 49th season and I keep telling people I’ll retire at the end of my 50th, but I’ll see how I feel. If we get 62,000 people in (Anfield after the expansion) that will be the biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken too, which would be really nice.”

“I don’t want my coronary to come before the end of this season!” He jokes with us. Many lifelong Liverpool supporters are incredibly superstitious, particularly around the premier league title, and it is interesting to note that George doesn’t mention the trophy by name once during our entire conversation!

As we get up to leave the Philharmonic, we bump into two Liverpool fans from Bournemouth, up in the city for a long-weekend of sightseeing. They’re both ecstatic to bump into George-who is more than happy to sign a couple of autographs for the pair. He tells us that usually people don’t recognize him at first, instead choosing to mention that his voice sounds familiar. At which point he often blurts out the line “there will be a minimum of two minutes added time” to give their memory a jog. This was a great way for our morning with the anfield legend to end, as it shows just how much of an impact George Sephton, a local Liverpool lad, has had on his boyhood club.

Written by Jayke Brophy