SIR BOBBY’S ONLINE AUCTION SUCCESS

Sir Bobby’s Online Auction, the charity auction in memory of football legend Sir Bobby Robson ended last night (29 November) raising an incredible £169,500 for charities.

The brainchild of Gina Long, a friend of the Robson family and volunteer fundraiser from Suffolk, the auction was an overwhelming success and attracted bidding from across the world.

Over 160 very special lots were donated to help the charities benefitting from the auction, which includes the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, the cancer charity Sir Bobby launched in 2008, and In The Game – the League Managers Association Charity.

This was the fourth ‘Sir Bobby Auction’ online, and over £870,000 has now been raised for charities since its inception by Gina Long.

Gina said: “Sir Bobby was a colossal global figure in football and the love and respect people still have for him has been reflected in the unbelievable money-can’t-buy prizes that we have been fortunate to receive.

“Everyone has been so generous in donating amazing prizes from the world of sport, celebrity and lifestyle.

“Whether bidding or helping to spread the word, I cannot thank everyone enough for their support in making this auction a fitting tribute to this amazing man.”

Bidders competed to secure a wide range of sport and lifestyle prizes and support from the football community was exceptional, with lots donated by FIFA, UEFA, the FA and a large number of Premier League and Football League clubs.

Sir Bobby’s former clubs Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, Newcastle United and Ipswich Town all gave support and there were touching personal donations from Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Frank Lampard, Aaron Ramsey, Terry Butcher, Kevin BeattieSir Alex Ferguson, Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho.

Lady Elsie Robson, Sir Bobby’s widow, said; “We’re absolutely thrilled that the auction has raised so much. Really, we can’t thank Gina and her team enough for all their hard work.

“We’ve been extremely lucky to have received the support we have. The football family in particular has been wonderfully helpful and we’re very grateful to everyone who has played a part in the special auction’s success.”

Paul Gascoigne, who played under Sir Bobby when he was England manager, was just one of the big names to lend his support to the auction and said: “Sir Bobby was my footballing father, an amazing manager and a true gentleman.

“I am delighted to lend my support to the Sir Bobby’s Online Auction and it is amazing, but not surprising, to see how incredibly successful the auction, and the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, has been in recent years.

“Legend is often used too much nowadays, but Bobby was legendary in the world of football.”

Sir Bobby’s Online Auction raised money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, In The Game – the League Managers Association Charity, the GeeWizz charitable foundation and West Suffolk Hospital Charity.

To view the auction, visit the http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/sir-bobbys-auction.

Some of the amazing sporting items in the auction included:
– Sir Alex Ferguson Champions League winners sketchbook
– Play at St George’s Park in the talkSPORT football tournament
– Guests of FC Barcelona, watching training and a game at the Nou Camp
– Go behind the scenes at Sky Soccer Saturday
– VIP NFL Game day and sideline experience
– UEFA Champions League Final Tickets
– Matchday media experience at Newcastle United
– Two exclusive tickets to the Fifa Ballon d’Or
– Watch Tottenham train, lunch with Ledley King and own rare history of Spurs
– Two tickets to next summer’s European Championships and overnight stay in Paris
– One of 50 commemorative England shirts personally signed by Wayne Rooney
– PSV Eindhoven matchday hospitality experience
– VIP tickets for the World Championship snooker final
– A talkSPORT behind-the-scenes experience with Alan Brazil
– Ipswich Town media experience
– Signed Jose Mourinho champions shirt with ‘Special 1’ on the back
– Incredible Russian football experience courtesy of Andre Villas Boas
– Kevin Beattie’s England cap from 5-0 win over Cyprus in 1975
– Two exclusive tickets to the PFA awards dinner
– Original abstract painting depicting the All Blacks’ Haka
– Ipswich Town matchday hospitality package
– A team in the Sir Bobby Robson Celebrity Golf Classic
– VIP tickets for the World Darts Championships
– Leicester Tigers VIP matchday experience
– Exclusive coaching session with LMA Ambassador
– Meet Rangers boss Mark Warburton pre-match
– Train with Accrington Stanley