Liverpool F.c Makes Anthem Fully Inclusive: ‘Signs of Unity’ Brings BSL to Anfield in a Stadium-First Rendition
When liverpool f. c invited supporters at Anfield to take part in a stadium-wide British Sign Language rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, it reframed matchday inclusion. The “Signs of unity” campaign, launched by the club and sponsor Carlsberg, trained fans and introduced BSL fan interpreters so deaf and hard-of-hearing supporters could participate fully in one of football’s most iconic moments.
Liverpool F. c and the ‘Signs of unity’ initiative
The campaign was developed with the British Deaf Association and debuted during the Premier League fixture against West Ham United on February 28. Research from Carlsberg showed 81% of deaf and hard-of-hearing fans want to take part in matchday chants but feel unable to do so, and the activation sought to remove that barrier by teaching supporters at Anfield how to sign the anthem in BSL.
Fans were encouraged to learn key signs in advance using campaign videos that featured men’s and women’s squad members, including Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Jeremie Frimpong, Rachael Laws, Fuka Nagano and Gemma Evans. The club invited two deaf supporters, Lucy and David Cossins, into the fold: players Curtis Jones and Jeremie Frimpong surprised them to learn about their experiences and then signed You’ll Never Walk Alone directly to the couple in the stands. The Cossins were later part of the February match-wide BSL rendition.
What lies beneath: causes, implications and operational change
At face value the activation translated an anthem into sign language. Beneath that, it is an operational and cultural shift. The initiative sits within the club’s wider Red together strategy and the sustainability programme The Red way, signalling an institutional commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion rather than a one-off publicity moment. liverpool f. c has committed to making BSL fan interpreters a permanent presence at every men’s and women’s home fixture, extending the scope from a single symbolic gesture to a structural change in matchday services.
Practically, the campaign required coordination across sponsor, disability advocacy and playing staff: Carlsberg supported content and research, the British Deaf Association advised on linguistic accuracy and accessibility, and squad members helped normalise the signs for the fanbase. The decision to embed interpreters for pre-match announcements and the full anthem means the gesture will be operationalized across fixtures, reducing ad hoc reliance on individual volunteers and ensuring consistency for deaf supporters.
Expert perspectives and voices from the club
Rishi Jain, director of impact at Liverpool FC, framed the work as both symbolic and structural: “Together with Carlsberg, we’re proud to deliver an initiative that truly lives up to everything that You’ll Never Walk Alone means. By teaching fans at Anfield how to sign the anthem in BSL, we wanted to give something back to our deaf and hard-of-hearing supporters. ” He linked the measure to a longer-term pledge under the club’s Red together agenda and highlighted the meaningful timing of the launch during a dedicated Red together match.
Lynsey Woods, global brand director at Carlsberg, emphasized the experiential rationale: “One of the best parts of football is the shared roar and raw emotion, the spontaneous explosion of joy. It creates a feeling of belonging that unites millions. However, the roar is only truly collective when everyone has access to it. ” Her comments underline why a sponsor invested in accessibility can influence venue-level changes.
Club ambassador Sir Kenny Dalglish, described the emotional effect on deaf supporters: “You can understand that deaf and hard-of-hearing fans feel as if they’ve missed out on part of the match day experience, but at the end of the day, we want everyone to be all one. ” That sentiment captures the social aim behind operational decisions.
Regional and wider implications, and a forward look
The initiative may influence how other clubs and event organisers approach mass participation rituals where audio is central. By embedding BSL interpreters permanently at matches and producing instructional content featuring players, the project creates a replicable model for stadium accessibility: combine research, advocacy expertise and sponsor resources to move from awareness to permanent service change. liverpool f. c’s step also recalibrates expectations among fans and rights-holders about what an inclusive matchday looks like, setting a precedent in a sport where ritual and community are tightly coupled.
Will this model prompt similar permanent accessibility commitments across top-flight stadiums and international fixtures? The immediate outcome is a tangible change at Anfield and a blueprint that others can study as they evaluate inclusion on matchday.
As fans who learned the signs joined deaf supporters in signing You’ll Never Walk Alone, the moment at Anfield underscored that accessibility can be both communal and structural—an approach liverpool f. c has chosen to adopt for the long term.
