Signs of unity

Let’s sing and sign You'll Never Walk Alone

For Liverpool FC fans, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ isn’t just a song – it’s a promise.

When Anfield rises together, 60,000 strong, to sing those four iconic words, it’s a moment that transcends football. It represents pride, togetherness, belonging - it’s what makes Liverpool FC so special.

But for many Deaf and hard of hearing fans, it hasn’t always been something they could fully feel part of. With 1 in 20 football fans deaf or hard of hearing, that’s a significant part of the matchday crowd. Research also shows that 81% of Deaf and hard of hearing fans want to participate in chants but feel unable to – meaning a large portion of the football community has been excluded from some of the best parts of the beautiful game.

So we set out to change that.

Together with Liverpool FC, and supported by the British Deaf Association, Carlsberg created four simple signs to bring ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ to life in British Sign Language.

Before kick-off at Anfield against West Ham United, fans came together to sing – and sign – in unison. For the first time, thousands shared the same moment, in the same language.

Because when football is truly inclusive, it means more to everyone.

Learn how to sign YNWA

You'll

With both palms open and facing you, place your dominant hand beneath the other, then sweep both hands outward until your palms face upward.

Never

Form a fist with your non-dominant hand, then use your dominant hand to sweep downward along the outside of the fist.

Walk

Hold up your non-dominant index finger with the palm facing outward, then push the hand forward in a short, deliberate motion.

Alone

With fingers spread and palm facing outward, push your dominant hand out and behind your other hand in a single smooth motion.

Meet Lucy and David

Watch the film

Curtis Jones and Jeremie Frimpong surprise two passionate Liverpool FC fans who share what it’s like being a deaf supporter

Four simple signs. One huge impact.

Creating the signs

Creating the four signs was a Deaf-led process. Together with the British Deaf Association, we formed the Carlsberg Fan Council; a group that included Deaf Liverpool FC fans, linguists and sign-song experts, to agree on the most appropriate signs to use. British Sign Language (BSL) isn’t signed English – it’s a visual language where meaning comes from movement, expression, and the use of space.

So, creating the right signs wasn’t about a literal word-for-word translation, but about capturing what the song really means:

unity, protection and collective care.

In traditional BSL, You (You’ll) is usually a pointing gesture, but in this song, it’s not about the individual – it’s about the collective. Using an open hand instead suggests giving, sharing, and offering support to everyone.

BSL also varies by region, just like a spoken dialect, which is why the Scouse sign for Never was chosen to reflect the lived language of Deaf people in the city of Liverpool.

Walk is normally shown with two fingers “walking” on the palm. But in this song the meaning isn’t literal, it’s emotional – being alone and vulnerable. This is why a single index finger moving away from the body was chosen to represent the feeling of isolation.

That movement is then resolved for Alone as multiple fingers join the lone finger, showing others coming alongside in support – no longer alone, but together.

Learn more about the British Deaf Association