Fans, Friends + Fun: Premire League Football Supporters Gather At Grand Junction's Goat And Clover
When Emma Wood moved to Grand Junction, she wanted to find a place to watch Liverpool Football Club (LFC) matches.
“I was searching ‘Premier League games Grand Junction’ and saw a posting on Facebook for The Goat and Clover Tavern. I knew if I was going to find my people, it would be there,” she explains.
Photo by Emma Wood
So one weekend morning, Wood, who is originally from Wales, donned a Liverpool jersey and went to Grand Junction’s version of a British pub to watch a match. While sitting at the bar and cheering on the Reds, she met Grand Junction native Jasmine O’Connor (now O’Connor Lee), who was engaged to a man from Liverpool. The following week, said fiancé, Jeff Lee, was in Grand Junction and the three met up to cheer on their favorite team.
Three years (and three football seasons) later, their little group has grown into a vibrant community of folks who enjoy Premier League football, drinking beer in the morning and cheering for Liverpool, while welcoming supporters of other teams, including rivals.
“We are definitely a group of Liverpool supporters, but we keep it friendly, so that anyone who wants to watch soccer feels welcome,” says Wood, noting that Grand Junction also has a large number of Arsenal Football Club supporters, along with fans of the other 18 Premier League teams.
The Premier League season runs from August to May with 38 league games, mostly on weekends. Because of the seven-hour time difference between England and Colorado, many of the matches are in the morning, making The Goat and Clover, which serves breakfast on weekends, the perfect venue. This is especially true since The Goat and Clover assigned a private room to the enthusiastic, and often loud, supporters.
“We started out at a few tables in the front, screaming for Liverpool, while others were just there for breakfast,” laughs O’Connor Lee. Soon the restaurant manager suggested that the LFC group move to a back room, and even brought in his own television every match day to help make it happen until a large television could be permanently mounted in the room. The Goat and Clover has also allowed the group to decorate with LFC paraphernalia (and the odd Arsenal item) and really make the space their own.
Mostly through word-of-mouth and regular Facebook notifications (@LFCGrandJunction), the LFC group has grown to over 20 regulars of all ages. Visitors are always welcome, and Wood noted a match when a Denver-area youth soccer team — in town for their own tournament — showed up for the FA Cup Final pitting Liverpool against Chelsea. Equally divided between Liverpool and Chelsea fans, the young players and their families joined right in and had a memorable time mixing with the locals.
For Jeff Lee, who grew up in Liverpool (4,665 miles away) and still holds a season ticket, the group is a meaningful touchstone to his homeland where football club supporters have long gathered in local pubs to cheer on their teams.
As for Jasmine O’Connor Lee, she values the community they’ve created. “I’ve made more friends through Liverpool football than I ever have in my whole life. LFC friends sang at our wedding, we’ve traveled together to Liverpool and we hang out together all the time outside of matches. It’s not just the football.”
Wood and Jeff Lee agree. “I’ve made myself hoarse screaming so much,” laughs Wood, while noting that The Goat and Clover has been ‘so good to us.’”
“We always have a laugh, don’t we?” adds Jeff Lee.
The Goat and Clover at 336 Main St. opens early at 8 a.m. on weekend days when LFC is playing. Normal opening time for breakfast is 9 a.m. You can also catch the game at Pour Fellows, sister tavern to The Goat and Clover.
Originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Spoke+Blossom.