Liverpool has confirmed that stadium announcer George Sephton, who has been “The Voice of Anfield” for more than 50 years, will step down and retire from his role following the last game of the season against Crystal Palace.
Since he first took on the role in 1971, Sephton’s iconic voice has become a beloved part of the matchday experience for generations of Liverpool supporters. He has announced some of the biggest goals in the Reds’ history and has consistently played the perfect soundtrack to match the mood.
“It’s been the honour of a lifetime to be known as ‘The Voice of Anfield’,” he told Liverpool’s official website. “I’ve been privileged to have a front-row seat at some of the greatest occasions in football history — memories I will cherish forever.
“Anfield has been my second home for over 50 years, and I’ve loved every moment. But the time is right to pass the microphone on.”
Paul Cuttill, vice-president of stadium operations at Liverpool, added: “George Sephton is more than just a stadium announcer — he is a part of the fabric of Anfield.
“His voice has soundtracked countless unforgettable moments in our club’s history, and his presence in the gantry will be deeply missed. We thank him for his remarkable tenure and dedication to the club.”
“It was quite simple,” Sephton told Liverpool.com last year, explaining how he got the role in the first place. “The guy who was doing it before me was Alan Jackson.
“I didn’t know him at the time but he took a sabbatical at the end of 1969. The following season, they had this guy standing in for him who really didn’t know what he was doing.
“I was at the match one midweek evening and he did something and I said, “This is embarrassing”. My wife turned around and said “It’s alright for you standing down here, I bet you couldn’t do any better”.
“I wrote a letter to Peter Robinson. I don’t know what possessed me — I think just out of pure spite to prove my wife wrong!
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“But the next thing I knew I got a letter asking me to come and see him. Apparently they decided to sling the previous guy out and my letter landed on his desk.
“They got me in and he decided I didn’t have two heads and could speak English and decided to give me a trial. In theory, the trial is still going on! Nobody has ever come to me and said “son, the job’s yours”.”
Liverpool.com says: Sephton’s voice has been a big part of the matchday experience for fans heading to Anfield for decades. It will be strange not hearing him over the tannoy, but he couldn’t have picked a better game to go out on, when Liverpool will lift the Premier League trophy in front of fans at last.
