Join John Bishop as Kip on the Kop Returns, Anfield 2026

Key Points

• Supporters are being invited to swap their beds for sleeping bags at LFC Foundation’s annual Kip on the Kop sleepout at Anfield.
• The event returns for its fourth year on Saturday 26 September 2026.
• It is being held to raise awareness and funds for people experiencing homelessness across the Liverpool City Region.
• Last year, more than 400 supporters took part and raised £119,575 for LFC Foundation and Liverpool Homeless FC.
• Comedian and Liverpool Homeless FC ambassador John Bishop will return to take part in the sleepout.
• Funds from this year’s event will support LFC Foundation’s Pathway to Works programme and Liverpool Homeless FC’s outreach and wellbeing work.
• Liverpool Homeless FC says it uses football to offer sport, health and wellbeing opportunities for vulnerable people in the community.
• The fundraiser is also intended to help participants better understand the realities of homelessness, including for children and families.

Anfield (Liverpool standard) July 25, 2026 – Supporters are being invited to take part in the return of the LFC Foundation’s annual Kip on the Kop sleepout at uk/local/anfield/">Anfield, with the event due to raise awareness and funds for people experiencing homelessness across the Liverpool City Region. As reported by Liverpool Standard, the fundraiser will take place on Saturday 26 September and will again bring together Reds fans, community figures and charity partners for a night intended to highlight the scale and complexity of homelessness.

Kip on the Kop is being staged for its fourth year and organisers say it is designed to help participants reflect on what life can be like without a safe and secure place to call home. The event cannot replicate the reality of homelessness, but it is intended to encourage understanding of the challenges faced by individuals and families across the region. The initiative also forms part of a wider effort to generate support for two organisations working directly with people affected by homelessness: LFC Foundation and Liverpool Homeless FC.

What did last year’s event raise?

Last year’s Kip on the Kop attracted more than 400 supporters and raised £119,575 for LFC Foundation and Liverpool Homeless FC. That figure underlines the event’s growing appeal among Liverpool fans and its importance as a fundraising platform for local services. The organisers will be hoping the 2026 edition can surpass that total, although no target has been publicly stated in the material provided.

The money raised is not presented as a symbolic gesture alone. It is tied to practical support for employability, outreach and wellbeing provision, meaning the fundraiser feeds directly into services intended to assist people as they move towards stability. The event’s charity partners say that connection between awareness and action is what gives the sleepout its value.

Who is taking part this year?

Comedian and Liverpool Homeless FC ambassador John Bishop will return to join the sleepout once again, continuing his long-running link with the campaign. He was also involved in last year’s event, when he was joined by former Liverpool player Sammy Lee, LFC Foundation community ambassador Chris Kirkland and actor and comedian Crissy Rock. Their involvement gives the fundraiser a wider public profile and helps draw attention to the cause beyond the stadium setting.

Bishop said Kip on the Kop is “a really special event” because it brings many people together for an important cause. He added that one night on the Kop does not compare to the reality faced by people experiencing homelessness, but he said it does make participants stop and think. His comments placed particular emphasis on the fact that homelessness is not limited to rough sleeping, but can also include moving between hostels and lacking a place to call home.

How are the charities framing the issue?

John Finnigan, chief executive of Liverpool Homeless FC, said the partnership with LFC Foundation continues to have a transformative impact on both the organisation and the people it supports. He said the relationship goes beyond football and allows the charity to expand its services, strengthen its delivery and create meaningful opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness and social exclusion. That framing presents the event as part of a longer-term support structure rather than a one-off fundraiser.

Liverpool Homeless FC says on its website that it was founded in 2007 and exists to provide sport, health and wellbeing opportunities to vulnerable people in the city. The charity also states that football is used as a way to engage people in a healthy social activity and to help them move towards training, employment, healthy living and long-term accommodation. The organisation says it has run a homeless league since 2007 and continues to support community-based work across Merseyside.

What will the money be used for?

Funds from this year’s event will support LFC Foundation’s Pathway to Works programme, which provides sport-based employability sessions and mentoring for young people who have experienced homelessness. The programme is designed to help participants build skills that may support them into training or work, while also providing practical guidance and encouragement. That gives the fundraiser a specific social outcome rather than a general charitable purpose.

Money raised will also support the outreach and wellbeing work delivered by Liverpool Homeless FC. The charity says its work includes activities intended to improve health, social connection and confidence among people affected by homelessness. Together, the two organisations aim to use the event to generate both money and momentum for continued service delivery.

Why does this event matter locally?

Homelessness remains a visible issue in cities across the Liverpool City Region, and the organisers are positioning the sleepout as both a fundraiser and a public awareness exercise. By asking supporters to spend one night on the Kop, the event offers a small-scale glimpse of discomfort while also pointing to the broader reality of insecurity, instability and isolation that many people face. The initiative is built around the idea that public engagement can strengthen understanding of a problem that is often seen only in its most visible form.

Liverpool Homeless FC’s mission statement says the charity aims to break down myths and stereotypes about homelessness and support people into training, employment and accommodation. That wider message fits with the stated purpose of Kip on the Kop, which is to bring people together around a local response to an ongoing social issue. The event’s appeal also lies in its combination of football identity, charity fundraising and community participation.

What is the background to Kip on the Kop?

Kip on the Kop has now been running for four years under the LFC Foundation banner. The campaign is closely linked to Liverpool’s football culture and to the city’s tradition of using sport for community action. Its structure is straightforward: participants sleep at Anfield, raise money, and help draw attention to homelessness-related services in the region.

The broader charity context matters as well. Liverpool Homeless FC says it was established in 2007 and has since built a league and community projects for people affected by homelessness. Its work, alongside LFC Foundation’s employability and mentoring support, shows how sport can be used as an entry point into wider social support services. The 2026 sleepout continues that pattern by combining public fundraising with targeted programmes.

What could the impact be for supporters and the community?

For supporters, the event offers a chance to take part in a visible act of solidarity while contributing to local charities with direct links to homelessness support. It may also deepen understanding of how homelessness affects people beyond what is seen on the streets, including young people, families and those moving through temporary accommodation. For many participants, the experience is likely to reinforce the difference between a symbolic overnight sleepout and the long-term insecurity faced by those without stable housing.

For the wider community, the effect will depend on how much money is raised and how many people engage with the message behind it. If participation remains high, the event could provide a useful boost to employability mentoring, outreach and wellbeing services. More broadly, it may keep homelessness in public view at a time when charities continue to rely on community support to sustain practical help.

Background of the particular development

Kip on the Kop began as a fundraising sleepout linked to Liverpool FC’s community work and has grown into a recurring event at Anfield. Its purpose has remained consistent: to raise money for people experiencing homelessness while encouraging supporters to think about the realities behind the issue. The campaign now supports both LFC Foundation and Liverpool Homeless FC, combining employability, mentoring and outreach work.

Liverpool Homeless FC says its own work began in 2007, with football used as a way to engage vulnerable people and connect them with health, wellbeing and life-support opportunities. Over time, the charity has expanded into a broader community role, including league football and support activities across Merseyside. The 2026 sleepout sits within that wider history of using sport as a practical route into social support.

Prediction for supporters

For Liverpool supporters, this development is likely to strengthen the connection between fan culture and community action. If interest remains strong, more supporters may see Kip on the Kop as a regular way to contribute to homelessness charities without needing specialist involvement or long-term volunteering. That could help sustain fundraising for programmes that rely on public participation.

For the organisations involved, a successful turnout could mean more resources for mentoring, outreach and wellbeing work over the next year. It may also help keep attention on homelessness in the Liverpool City Region through a football-led campaign that is easy to understand and widely shared. The longer-term effect will depend on whether the event continues to convert supporter enthusiasm into steady funding and public awareness.