Billy Liddell - Later Life and Legacy

Later Life and Legacy

Liddell settled in Liverpool with Phyllis and their twin sons, residing in Merseyside until his death. When his father died in January 1951, Liddell arranged for his mother, sister, and younger brothers to relocate to the city, concentrating his family in the region. While still a player, Liddell was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Liverpool in 1958 and contributed a column to the Echo's football edition. He became occupied with voluntary work, which entailed him being an occasional disc jockey for the Women's Voluntary Service at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, working for local youth clubs, and teaching at a Sunday school. Although religious, Liddell had not been a lay preacher as some believed. His wife dismissed it as a misapprehension, recalling that, while Liddell had abstained from drinking and smoking, he had not objected to others doing so in his presence and never "rammed any of his views down people's throats." After retiring in 1961, Liddell served as assistant permanent secretary and bursar to the University of Liverpool until 1984, and authored a memoir, titled "My Soccer Story".

While he had no desire to be a manager, Liddell, as a shareholder, had wanted to become a Liverpool director; however, his repeated applications to board elections were unsuccessful. He continued to play football for a magistrates' team until he decided to focus on tennis after breaking a cheek bone. In 1967, Liddell and other footballing personalities appeared in a charity match to generate funds for Bankfield House Community Centre. More than 10,000 people watched Liddell play opposite retired Hungarian international Ferenc Puskás at South Liverpool's Holly Park ground, raising £1,100 in the process. He later became chairman of Littlewoods' Spot the Ball panel and president of the Liverpool FC Supporters Club. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the early 1990s, Liddell resigned from the panel on the insistence of Phyllis. His wife had first noticed atypical behaviour on a visit to Anfield following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, when he did not appear able to register what had happened in Sheffield. When his condition worsened, Liddell moved to a nursing home in Mossley Hill. He died on 3 July 2001, within a week of the deaths of former Liverpool manager Joe Fagan and director Tom Saunders.

In 2002, former Liverpool Reserve player Jimmy Rolfe loaned to Anfield Museum a No. 11 shirt believed to be the only surviving example worn by Liddell in the league. He had acquired it from trainer Albert Shelley on leaving for Chester in 1953. On 4 November 2004, widow Phyllis and Ian Callaghan unveiled a commemorative plaque adjacent to the museum. Liddell's biographer John Keith, who also presented on BBC Radio Merseyside, had proposed the memorial to then chairman David Moores and chief executive Rick Parry. Further recognition came in 2006 when Liddell attained sixth place in a poll of more than 110,000 people conducted by Liverpool's official website to determine a list of "100 Players Who Shook The Kop". When Liverpool approached former players to identify their personal favourites as a complement to the list, Ian Callaghan, Tommy Smith, David Johnson, and Roy Evans included Liddell in their "top five". The Football League included Liddell in a 1998 list of notable players, titled the "100 Legends".

The Billy Liddell Memorial Group formed in 2007 to advocate further recognition for Liddell, specifically in his home village of Townhill, and secure induction into the Scottish FA's Hall of Fame. A petition to the Scottish Parliament, to have Liddell inducted, succeeded in November 2008 when he became one of eight players admitted. His village renamed its sports complex in his honour and completed a memorial garden, with cairn, in May 2010. The Deputy Provost of Fife Council, Councillor Lizz Mogg, officially unveiled the cairn on the 22nd in the presence of Liddell's widow and other relatives. The memorial group announced its intention to disband in July, citing the success of its campaign.