Meet 93-year-old Liverpool superfan, Peggy Pickavant
In the spring of 1945, a 14-year-old girl with wide eyes and a heart full of curiosity took her place on the famous Kop at Anfield for the very first time. Her name was Peggy Pickavant—and that day changed everything.
Watch the Dramatic Moment as 93-year-old Peggy Lifts PL Cup with Robertson
Back then, the Kop was a sea of men. But Peggy was one of just nine women in the entire stand, something she didn’t realize until a lady in a long red coat waved her over.
“Come and stand here by me, girl,” she said kindly, and just like that, Peggy found her place. A few minutes later, someone pulled out a flask and passed around proper teacups—china and all. It wasn’t just a football match. It was a welcome.
“I didn’t know anyone, but those women treated me like I’d always belonged,” Peggy remembers. “We became friends for life.”
That match sparked what would become a nearly eight-decade love story. Now 93, Peggy still lights up when she talks about her team—and she’ll be cheering once again when Liverpool celebrates its Premier League title with a victory parade on May 26.
The memory of those early days is still vivid. “One of the ladies used to call the players over after the match, and they’d come say hello,” Peggy says, smiling. “They weren’t used to seeing women up there, you see. I think they found it quite charming.”
She never stopped going. Through the decades, through every high and low, Peggy stood faithfully on the Kop—scarf around her neck, voice hoarse from shouting, heart fully in it.
Her late husband, Tommy, was just as devoted. “He’d come straight from work and meet me at the game,” she says. “But he’d always tease me: ‘I’m not standing next to you—you shout too much!’”
Today, her house in Halewood is easy to spot: a red front door and a Liverpool flag flapping in the breeze. It’s a quiet but proud signal of the life she’s lived with her club always close to her heart.
A few years ago, after the final game of the season, Peggy was handed the match ball—a moment she’ll never forget. In the photo, she’s holding it above her head, her Liverpool mask on, scarf proudly in place, standing exactly where she’s always felt at home.
Now, as the city prepares to celebrate another league title—Liverpool’s 20th—Peggy plans to be there among the crowd. “It’s a dream come true, really,” she says. “And if I ever got the chance to meet the players, I’d just say, ‘Thank you—for all of it. You’ve made an old woman very happy.’”
Reference
BBC News: https://bbc.in/4doK18V
