In this issue we hear from Brendan Connolly of the Everton FC Heritage Society.
How was the Everton FC Heritage Society formed?
The Society was another Everton-related brainchild of Dr David France OBE, in addition to the Former Players Foundation and the Hall of Fame. David invited a small number of people he knew who were interested in different aspects of the club’s heritage.
What are the aims of the Society?
- To be the first point of contact for all enquiries related to Everton’s history.
- To actively promote knowledge of the club’s history.
- To promote and support the Everton Collection Trust.
How long have you been in existence and what were the early days like?
Formed in 2008, early meetings were held in The Adelphi Hotel, but following David’s move across the Atlantic I felt we struggled for direction in what we were trying to achieve. Meetings were moved to the more affordable Crosby Lakeside Marina and were initially poorly attended.
A breakthrough was made when Paul Wharton and George Orr decided to rent the upstairs room at St Luke’s church hall on the corner of Goodison Park. Displays were prepared for supporters to reminisce about the splendid history of our great club, and I fondly recall George’s words in those early days – “We’re just supporters with blu-tac and passion”. We had a table of old programmes which we started to sell to raise funds.
And how are things now?
Ten years on, St. Luke’s is unrecognisable and an Aladdin’s Cave of photographic displays, programmes, replica shirts and other memorabilia. There are stalls where supporters can purchase items, and we regularly have book signings with our Everton heroes. Neville Southall, Bob Latchford and Dave Thomas have all graced us with their presence.
The funds raised assist in the delivery of our projects, and we have renovated the graves of former players and officials such as Will Cuff, Sandy Young and Billy Scott. These events are extremely rewarding and often pull together families from various parts of the world to celebrate the lives of their predecessors.
Who makes up the Society?
The Society includes authors, historians, statisticians, researchers and memorabilia collectors.
What are your main achievements?
One of our objectives is to support The Everton Collection and we work closely with Lord Grantchester and the trustees.
We hosted a ‘120 Years of Goodison Park’ weekend at the Museum of Liverpool; we have collected almost 10,000 pieces of kit in support of KitAid and obtained medals for former players who missed out due to injury – Adrian Heath, Derek Temple and Ray Veall. Celebration events have been organised in honour of Harry Catterick and Joe Mercer, and blue plaques have been arranged in recognition of Dixie Dean, Jack Borthwick and Norman Greenhalgh.
How is your relationship with the club?
We are fortunate to enjoy an excellent relationship with the club and are grateful for the support of Richard Kenyon, Scott McLeod, Darren Griffiths and Alistair James. As a result, our meetings were moved to Goodison Park before we were offered the wonderful facilities of the club’s boardroom in the Royal Liver Building.
What does the future hold?
Our main concern is whether we will have a base once the club moves to the fantastic new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock. However, the Society continues to flourish, and we have recently invested in some audio-visual equipment and produced a couple of excellent videos.
The Everton FC Heritage Society website is here.