It is not every day the Freedom of the City is granted.
It is the highest honour a council can bestow upon a citizen. But when that person happens to be the manager of one of the world's biggest football clubs, you know it is going to be a rather different event.
In just seven short – but very successful – years, Jürgen Klopp has transcended not just Liverpool FC but in many ways, football itself, with his views on issues ranging from Covid to the cost of living crisis, making national and international headlines.
And in a city divided by who you support, Mr Klopp has even managed to win the respect and admiration of those who follow Everton. That is no mean feat.
For myself and the staff at Liverpool Town Hall, Freedom ceremonies are always a joy to work on – hard work for sure, but rewarding as you get to create something truly special for the recipient, their family, friends and all those who attend.
Mr Klopp's freedom ceremony was a special and humbling moment, not only for him and his family, but for us in the council too. It is only the third time that Liverpool has conferred its freedom to a foreign-born national. It was given to Nelson Mandela in 1994 and street theatre genius Jean-Luc Courcoult in 2018.
The venue for the ceremony, the spectacular main ballroom where we usually hold weddings (and as seen in films, like Chariots of Fire) has no dais for such a ceremony, so we had to build one – in red, naturally. And, we had to move the ceremonial chairs from the council chamber.
Then there were the little extras – like the catering with a Germanic-scouse twist (Jürgen Klopp pies), the music with two Scots pipers to serenade guests on arrival and our singer in residence to book. There were speeches to write, souvenir orders of service to produce, which Mr Klopp signed many off, the Freedom Scroll itself to design – which he proudly took home under his arm – and videos to screen during the tributes. As well as our Mayor and Lord Mayor, the event also involved Sir Kenny Dalglish and chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, Margaret Aspinall.
The day itself began for staff at 7am, but in truth preparations had begun almost days after the council had officially agreed to confer the status in late July.
And all of this was happening while my staff and I continued to host and manage numerous council meetings, weddings and events and providing other civic duties.
By 1pm, the catering team were in, by 2pm, the AV crew was setting up. At 4pm, the stage, name cards and seating has all been set, and at 4.30pm, the media had arrived and set up.
Mr Klopp arrived by 4.45pm and was welcomed by our civic leaders. With numerous media duties done, the civic reception began at 5.30pm and the ceremony started by 6.30pm. It was all over by 7.30pm and was already all over the news.
It is safe to say it was quite a day, with many wonderful memories made to share and treasure – especially if you are a LFC fan, like many of our staff.
Mr Klopp, his wife Ulla and his family were lovely to deal with and it was very touching – and gratifying – to see how genuinely moved they all were by the event.
For Liverpool City Council it was a special day too. One that showcases all that makes Liverpool such a unique city.
As public servants we are lucky to be part of occasions like this that makes people proud and smile. All areas of the council working as a team to deliver such a high profile event.
Now we are onto the very busy Christmas season and planning for some event called Eurovision next May. In the words of Jürgen himself – ‘WOW!'
Angie Redhead is head of city assets at Liverpool City Council
@lpoolcouncil
