Liverpool FC welcomed thousands of fans to the Reds family this week as 20 international supporters clubs gained their official status.

The new Official Liverpool FC Supporters Clubs (OLSCs) span 10 countries across the world – including China, Spain, Brazil and USA – and bring more than 3,100 new supporters to the branch network.

This season’s intake sees the total number of OLSCs reach more than 300 branches worldwide – meaning more than 180,000 Reds across the globe are officially recognised for their incredible support of the club.

Peter Moore, chief executive officer at LFC, said: “We’re always delighted to welcome more official supporters clubs into the LFC family, and it’s great to see the branch network growing each year.

“When you are supporting the club from afar, as I did for many years, it’s important to be able to come together with your fellow Reds – and the Official Liverpool Supporters Clubs provide that opportunity to our fans all around the world.

“It’s brilliant to have so many new branches come on board and bring even more fans together, in all corners of the world, to share the love of our club.”

Twenty branches in total gained their official status this season: Birmingham, Chattanooga, Des Moines, Hampton Roads, Las Vegas, Murfreesboro, New Jersey Shore, New Orleans, Portland and Sacramento (USA); Hunan and Tianjin (China); Morocco; Bilbao (Spain); Kiev (Ukraine); Guatemala; Chile; Sao Paulo (Brazil); Siam (Thailand); and Bolivia.

Unofficial LFC supporters clubs began to form back in the late 1960s, and in 1993 the club decided to formalise these groups with the creation of the International Supporters Clubs (ISC) network – known today as the OLSC network. There are now 307 branches present in 99 countries worldwide.

For more information on OLSCs and how to find your nearest branch, click here.