The Mayor of Liverpool has announced the City Council will submit a bid for City of Football funding.
It follows an announcement from Sport England that it is asking cities to bid for £1.6m to run a pilot programme to get more people – particularly those aged between 14 and 25 – playing the grassroots game.
Cities can bid from Monday April 28 until Friday 23 May. A shortlist of cities will then be selected and will go through to the second round.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “Football is in the DNA of this city, so we will develop a robust bid for City of Football.
“Every week, over 1,200 teams play football in this city – including 9,000 youngsters – and there are 21 competitive leagues. It’s the lifeblood of Liverpool.
“We are fully committed to the grassroots game and we are working closely with our colleagues in the Liverpool County FA and the FA through a ‘Steering Group’ to develop a sustainable model for football in Liverpool. Having Liverpool as the first City of Football will support and complement this work.”