Liverpool vs. Manchester - why they are enemies

by Boom Khamai Prinya
(Bangkok, Thailand)

The game of soccer, the most popular sport in the world, was created by the British. Also, the two best soccer teams ever in England are Liverpool and Manchester United, who race to be number one in soccer. I believe that many people would never know why Liverpool and Manchester United became enemies.

Back in the early history of England during the Industrial Revolution (18th century to 19th century), Liverpool city and Manchester city were important cities in the western region for industry.

Liverpool was a major port in the world, which facilitated the trading of goods with foreign countries. It is said that in the early 19th century, the trade fleet of more than 40% of the world arrived at the Mercy Bay site. And Manchester itself was a center of the industry's first and largest in the world, especially the cotton textile industry driving the economy of the United Kingdom at that time.

One issue that was the origin of a feud between Liverpool and Manchester was the navigable dredged waterway "Manchester," which opened officially in 1894. At the time, raw cotton was of extreme importance to Manchester's booming textile industry; however, it had to be transported via ship and they had to pay enormous fees to the port of Liverpool for transportation.

The Manchester City Council solved the problem by dredging the "Manchester" navigable waterway, a shipping route that allowed raw cotton in cruise ships to dock in Manchester City directly and not have to pay dock tax to Mercury Riverside in Liverpool city anymore. Because Liverpool city lost a lot of money from fees on Manchester ships, this made the population of both cities enemies for everything, even in soccer games.