Celebrities to take part in football match for Gosport charity

The Big Match, a charity that raises money for The Brain Tumour Charity and Action For Children, will be hosting a game at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton on Saturday, May 23.

Youngsters will take part in a training session led by professionals in the morning, before the game itself kicks off in the afternoon.

The charity is the brainchild of Gosport grandmother Elizabeth Humphries, 69.

A well-known face in the community for her charity work, she says this year should be the biggest event yet.

‘I’m getting really excited about it,’ she said.

‘We’ve got support all over the country so this is going to be a great event.

‘It’s easily the biggest place we’ve ever had The Big Match – we’re expecting it to be a brilliant day out.’

Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton has been confirmed as one of the managers for the game, with more celebrities due to be announced.

Fellow England international David Seaman, singer Jake Quickenden and reality TV star Amy Childs have also taken part in previous years.

Over the eight years that The Big Match has been around, it has raised more than £360,000 from these annual events.

But it’s the first time that a game will be played in the south coast, the charity’s spiritual home.

Elizabeth said: ‘The last match at Millwall raised around £65,000.

‘There will be 15 celebrities and 15 members of the public, so if you sign up and raise £1,000 you can share the pitch with some big names from sport and showbiz.’

Children from Gosport and the surrounding area are being encouraged to attend for a training session and match of their own.

Youngsters can come down as part of a club or just with a few friends.

To sign up as a player, a youngster or buy tickets to the game, people can go to thebigmatch.co.uk.