(Reuters) -George Sephton, Liverpool's stadium announcer whose voice has echoed around Anfield for over five decades, will step down at the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Friday.

Sephton, 79, took the job in 1971 when Bill Shankly was manager of the team and soon became known as "The Voice of Anfield".

"I've been privileged to have a front-row seat at some of the greatest occasions in football history – memories I will cherish forever," Sephton said in a club statement.

"Anfield has been my second home for over 50 years and I've loved every moment. But the time is right to pass the microphone on."

Sephton will leave after Liverpool's final game of the season against Crystal Palace on Sunday, when he will see the team lift the league trophy for a 13th time since he took his seat in the gantry.

"George Sephton is more than just a stadium announcer – he is a part of the fabric of Anfield," said Paul Cuttill, Liverpool's vice-president of stadium operations.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)