Bill Shankly, 14-Apr-1964 (Picture by PA PA Archive/PA Images)

‘Making Shankly’: How Bill Shankly’s early years shaped his Liverpool career

A documentary shedding light on the early years of Bill Shankly‘s life has been selected by The Liverpool International Film Festival.

Making Shankly tells a story that spans the football world from past to present and shows a side of the legendary football manager that is rarely seen.

The film will be shown at the festival next month (16-18 November) with the director/producer in attendance.

Everyone knows Bill Shankly the man, but the tiny village of Glenbuck—where he was born—has been largely forgotten.

Beneath its neglect lies one of the most compelling stories in football.

Through interviews with football historians and some of the few remaining Glenbuckians, Making Shankly charts the history of Glenbuck, the impact it made on football and why it became known as the ‘Nursery of Footballers’.

Simon Thornton, 23, the film’s director and producer, said: “I’m just ecstatic that the film is being screened in Liverpool.

“It’s a film that most—if not all—Liverpool fans will learn something from and hopefully enjoy!

“I really wanted it to get its world premiere in Liverpool, and it’s brilliant that it’s going to.

“I grew up near Glenbuck, which much of the film focuses on but both of my parents were scousers so the story was something that I really wanted to tell.

“Not a lot of people know about what happened in Glenbuck and how much the village affected football, so to be able to tell that story has been an amazing opportunity.”

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