When it comes to football clubs and their nicknames, some of them are quite clever and inventive, whilst others are so simplistic as to be reasonably dull in their nature. In the case of Liverpool, the club definitely falls into the latter category.
The club is the most successful in English football history, drawing level with Manchester United on league titles when they won the Premier League in 2024-2025 but far outstripping them in terms of overall major trophies. In spite of the success, the club’s nickname of ‘The Reds’ comes from the colour of the kit the players wear.
Why Do Liverpool Play in Red?
There is little to get excited about when it comes to Liverpool Football Club’s nickname. The moniker of ‘The Reds’ is an easy one to understand, given the fact that it came about courtesy of the colour of the home kit that the team plays its matches in. What is more interesting, however, is why it is that they play in red at all. It all dates back to the club’s origins, formed in 1892 in the wake of the decision of Everton to depart Anfield, their original home, when the owner of the stadium wanted to charge more rent and those involved in the club at the time refused to pay it.
Everton departed to play matches at Goodison Park, with John Houlding being left without a team to play in his ground. He formed his own team, finding some kits that had belonged to Everton and getting his players to wear them. Those kits were blue and white chequered in nature, contrasting with a ruby red kit that Everton had begun playing in. It didn’t take long for the club to move to a red kit of its own, however, contrasting it with white shorts, whilst Everton returned to a blue kit with their own white shorts that, barring various changes of shade, has remained their kit ever since.
Bill Shankly
It is well-known to those that follow football that Bill Shankly was the founder of modern-day Liverpool. The Scot’s statue stands proudly outside the Kop, whilst his famous quotes can be heard in pretty much all walks of life. What many might not realise, however, is that it took until the arrival of Shankly as the club’s manager for Liverpool to begin playing in an all-red kit. Ian St John was one of his players and wrote about the change in his autobiography, saying, “Shankly thought the colour scheme would carry psychological impact: red for danger, red for power.”
According to St John, Shankly went into the dressing room one day, threw a pair of red shorts to Ronnie Yeats, and said, “Get into those shorts and let’s see how you look. Christ, Ronnie, you look awesome, terrifying. You look 7ft tall.” It was from that moment on that the club began playing in an all-red kit, wearing it for the first time on the 25th of November 1964. That was for a European Cup game against Belgian side Anderlecht, whom Liverpool defeated 3-0. When the 1965-1966 season got underway, the all-red kit had become the home one for Liverpool and they’ve never looked back.
Unprecedented Success
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If there was any doubt about the benefit of playing in an all-red kit, it soon dissipated. Liverpool would go on to enjoy a period of success unlike any other side in England, taking their total tally of top-flight titles up to 18 by the end of the 1989-1990 campaign. Although it then took 30 years for the club to win its 19th, the likes of FA Cups, League Cups and European Cups all came in the intervening years. No other side could get close to ‘The Reds’ until Sir Alex Ferguson’s arrival at Manchester United, making it his life’s mission to ‘knock them off their perch’ during his time at Old Trafford.
Although they had worn red since the 1986 season, it was the addition of the red shorts to the red shirts that meant that the nickname of ‘The Reds’ really made sense. Other teams have also taken on the nickname over the years, but it’s on Merseyside where the title holds the most resonance thanks to the success that the club has enjoyed ever since Shankly made that fateful decision to add red shorts and socks to the combo of kit worn by his players. The fact that Everton, as well as being ‘The Toffees’, are also known as ‘The Blues’ adds to the sense of a battle of one side against another.