What is The Anfield Ledger?

Five years ago, I stepped into the world of football business reporting, a shift that took me out of the comfort zone I’d known covering Chester FC for the Chester Chronicle. The pandemic disrupted everything, and I found myself handed an opportunity I wasn’t sure I could make work. But I did.

Football finance was becoming impossible to ignore. PSR breaches, murky takeover bids, and terms like ‘amortisation’ and ‘book value’ were entering everyday fan vocabulary. Should it be that way? It’s a strange question to ask, especially for someone who’s spent half a decade writing about the business of football, and is now launching a new venture focused on exactly that. But the truth is, the joy of football has always come from the game itself.

Still, while the passion and identity that come from following a club remain as strong as ever, understanding how the game is funded has never been more important. Where does the money come from for transfers and wages? What are the owners’ long-term plans? What forces, from TV rights to global commercial trends, are poised to reshape the sport?

That’s what struck me five years ago: where is this all heading, and why does it matter?

Covering football’s business side has been an education. I’ve learned from some of the sharpest minds in sports and entertainment investment, and I’ve come to understand what truly makes a football club successful. It’s not just about throwing money at transfers, it’s about strategy, sustainability, and vision.

At the Liverpool Echo, I built a strong network of trusted contacts both in the UK and the US, people who helped shape the work I wanted to do. Eventually, I made the decision to leave Reach Plc and end my time with the Echo and its wider network. It was time for a change, and I’m excited about what comes next.

Liverpool FC and the business of sport will be central to that next chapter, an idea that’s been brewing for some time. I’ve loved covering Liverpool and connecting with fans around the world. I’ve become a regular on The Anfield Wrap through the monthly ‘Money Talks’ show with John Gibbons, and in November I was in New York for a live evening of LFC business chat with the Official Supporters Clubs of New York and Brooklyn, raising funds for Father’s Heart Ministry’s foodbank drive, where we delivered over $4,000 for good causes.

Through The Anfield Ledger, my goal is simple: to inform, educate, and entertain around the business of LFC. From financial insights and PSR updates to exclusive interviews with decision-makers and expert analysis of Fenway Sports Group’s long-term plans, I’ll be covering every off-pitch angle like nowhere else, all for the price of a pint.

I’ll also keep you up to speed on the wider football landscape, across the Premier League, Europe, and beyond, through multiple weekly newsletters and podcasts.

If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’ll consider subscribing and joining me on this journey.

Who am I?

I’ve been a journalist for most of my adult life—first in news, then in sport, and always with a deep-rooted passion for storytelling. For the past five years, I’ve focused on the business side of football at Reach Plc, leading coverage for the Liverpool Echo and later across national titles as Chief Business of Football Writer.

Launching The Anfield Ledger feels like the natural next step in a journey that began in 2009, when I left my job stacking shelves at Tesco to pursue higher education. That leap sparked a lifelong love of learning, which led to a First Class Honours degree and the University of Chester’s prize for outstanding academic achievement in 2012.

Since then, I’ve spent nearly six years embedded in the football industry, speaking daily with the people driving change and learning directly from them. That access has shaped a skill set built on lived experience, trusted relationships, and relentless curiosity.

My role at the Echo evolved into a national remit, and along the way I became the only British journalist in the past decade to interview Liverpool’s famously media-shy owner, John W. Henry, a conversation made possible through trust built in the U.S. over time.

I’ve built strong ties with Liverpool FC, gaining behind-the-scenes access and forging relationships with the people shaping its future. That insight allows me to translate complex business strategies into real-time analysis for fan, offering a clear, well-rounded view of how the club operates, the challenges it faces, and where it’s headed.

But my passion for journalism goes back even further, to matchdays at the Deva Stadium, where I first fell in love with the game through Chester FC. It’s something I often talk about on The Anfield Wrap: how that early connection to football and community shaped the way I see the sport today, not just as entertainment, but as a powerful cultural and economic force.

And while football finance can sometimes feel like the driest part of the pitch, I’ll always try to bring a bit of levity to the analysis, because if we’re going to talk amortisation and governance, we might as well enjoy ourselves while we’re at it.

So, what’s the cost, Dave?

Let’s get this out there from the start: this isn’t some kind of hustle. I know we’re all juggling subscriptions these days, so I’ve kept the price as low as I can.

For £4.99 a month, you’ll get full access to all posts (at least two a week), and regular podcasts, and the full archive.

The aim here is to build a proper community of fans who care about what happens off the pitch as much as on it. It won’t be for everyone, and that’s totally fine, thanks for taking a look. There’ll still be a free post pretty regularly for non-subscribers to enjoy.

If you’ve got any questions, just drop me a line at theanfieldledger@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to get back to everyone.

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