Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has joined non-league club Marine FC in an advisory capacity, aiming to help the club continue its upward trajectory. The 48-year-old Sky Sports pundit, born in Bootle and still residing nearby, has closely followed Marine's rise to the National League North, the sixth tier of English football.
Carragher will assist in further developing the club, which has secured two promotions in recent years and received a financial boost from a memorable FA Cup run in 2021, where they hosted Tottenham Hotspur behind closed doors.
"Marine is a proper community football club with good people involved and a clear vision for where it wants to go," said Carragher in a statement. "I've enjoyed watching the progress the club has made over recent years and I'm pleased to be able to support the club in an advisory capacity going forward."
Marine finished 12th in the National League North this season. The club is hopeful of moving from its 3,000-capacity Rossett Park ground in the coming years and plans to submit a planning application for a new home within the next six months.
CEO James Leary added: "This is a brilliant moment for Marine FC. Jamie is someone who cares deeply about football and the local community and he's followed closely what we have been building here over the last few years. His experience and relationships will be a huge help to the club as we continue moving Marine forward over the coming years."
The club gained widespread attention in 2021 due to their FA Cup run, which saw them host Tottenham behind closed doors because of the second Covid lockdown. Marine cleverly sold 'virtual tickets' for £10 each, selling 30,000 to fans worldwide, including then-Spurs manager Jose Mourinho and several first-team players.
Neil Young, Marine's manager at the time who moved to a director of football role in 2025, recalled the transformative impact of that run. "Before that we were averaging gates of about 350 and now we're getting about 1,300. We've got a new pitch which is well-used by the community and local schools. We have used the money to renovate our function rooms, it was just a bar now it's a restaurant which is open seven days a week. And obviously we've been able to increase the playing budget and increase the facilities throughout the club," he said.
Young also noted the personal touches from Mourinho: "When the draw was made, Spurs were top of the Premier League. You weren't really allowed to mix but Jose Mourinho bought myself a signed shirt, and one for our goalkeeper who was also Portuguese. Jose went out of his way before the game for half an hour to have a good chat with our players, he was a really nice guy. The profile of what happened in those cup games brought bigger attention to us, we get Liverpool, Everton and also Tottenham supporters visiting us now!"
