Growing up in Glasgow in a family that adored Kenny Dalglish, Jenna Clark has ardently been supporting Liverpool since she was a young child without ever getting the chance to soak in the atmosphere at Anfield.
The closest the defender ever got to the Kop was a stadium tour, a Christmas present, before she signed for the Merseyside club from Glasgow City on a two-year contract in 2023.
That made playing at the ground a reality last October, even though it ended in disappointment as Clark and her teammates slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Everton.
Now the Women’s Super League side are back at Anfield for a further three fixtures this season, starting with Sunday’s visit of in-form Manchester City, and for Clark the opportunity remains beyond comparison. “Playing at Anfield will always be a thing,” Clark says. “It’s always a massive occasion for us. We’re absolutely delighted with our new home stadium at St Helens as well but Anfield is kind of unmatched. It’s got so much history.
“It’s something you probably didn’t even dream of as a kid because, when I was younger, you didn’t really even see that pathway as being players, so to say you dreamed of playing at Anfield, well, you probably didn’t picture yourself actually doing it, you maybe pictured yourself playing with the men, which obviously isn’t possible.” Now, however? “It can be a dream for young girls and boys as well. That is really special. It means a lot.
“We want to make the most of it, and just try and get positive feelings from the game, and that means putting on a good performance.”
For Clark, who turned 23 a fortnight ago, there is a determination not to dwell on past results. “The last game at Anfield was very frustrating and we were disappointed with it, so we do want to rectify that, but it’s about going into this game for the game that this is, and not thinking too much about past games.”
That defeat by Everton was a rare blip for Matt Beard’s team last season, one of only three home league defeats, the others coming against Arsenal and City. Last season, Clark played in 21 of Liverpool’s 22 WSL fixtures, helping them achieve their best finish since 2017, fourth in the table. Defending is her forte but she also scored the winner against Manchester United in their final home game of the season.
“She’s come on leaps and bounds,” Beard said of Clark before Liverpool’s 3-2 win at Tottenham that extended their unbeaten start to the campaign.
“I think the biggest challenge for her last year was the week-in, week-out, how tough the league was. No disrespect to the Scottish league but there are obviously games there where they [Glasgow City] were winning by double figures, and then you have a tough game. So I think there was a moment last year when she was sort of up and down, but I think she’s come through that with flying colours, had a good pre-season, and started well for us.”
Clark, who was still only 14 when Jürgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool and grew up idolising players such as Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk and Steven Gerrard, says her love for the club made it easier to adjust. “I don’t think it took long to feel like home. The staff and players certainly made it feel like home, as soon as I came in the door.
“I definitely feel more settled into the league now. That probably took a bit of getting used to, with the competitiveness and the level of it. And then again this season it’s going to take some getting used to again, because that level has gone up. Every team has improved and will take points off each other.”
For Sunday’s game, Liverpool have swapped shirt sponsors to highlight their Futuremakers charity, which aims to empower young people with skills to improve their chances of employment or starting their own business. All match-worn shirts, including Clark’s, will be signed and auctioned to raise money for the programme, while the men’s team’s shirts worn on 20 October will also be auctioned.
Clark knows that, as the profile of the women’s game rises, so does the players’ power to support worthy causes. “We’re certainly more in the spotlight and it gives us a good opportunity to use it in a good way. Hopefully raise a lot of funds for it. It’s important to us as players.”
Liverpool’s women’s shirts will go up for auction after they face Manchester City at CharityStars.com/SCFM
