Liverpool - Police Athletic Ground II
Prescot Road : L7 0AD
Liverpool - Police Athletic Ground II : Map credit National Library of Scotland The Police had a sports ground at Shiel Road until they were evicted in 1898. They found a new ground in 1900, which was a short distance away on Prescot Road. The new ground was used for football, cricket, athletics and cycling, baseball was played there in the 1930's when it was popular. The ground was used mainly for police athletics club events but the Police Annual sports were held at Goodison Park from 1900 until 1910.

The police organised a series of Friday evening handicap race meetings from 1900 for their members, which included half mile bicycle races.

After ten years of holding their annual sports at Goodison Park, the Liverpool Police Athletic Society moved their annual sports to their own ground on July 9th 1910 and included a one mile bicycle race. The Liverpool police tug of war team were winners at the sports, reversing their defeat in the 1908 Olympic Games, when they won a silver medal, but were beaten for gold by the London police team.

The Police annual sports ran until the First World War, and resumed on July 3rd 1920 with a well supported meeting that included three bicycle races. In the 1930s other organisations used the ground for their own sports meetings, these included the Merseyside Dock Board sports, Harland and Wolff company sports and the National Warehouse and General Workers Union. The last bicycle racing at the ground was probably the Liverpool Police Athletic Society sports in 1938.

The Police Athletic Ground continued to be used for football until the 1980s when the ground was developed for housing at the present Marrow Drive area.


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Maps    : National Library of Scotland