A football signed by Tottenham Hotspur legends is being auctioned to raise money for Royal Star & Garter’s Surbiton care home.
The fundraising auction will finish at 11.45pm on New Year’s Eve, and was started by by Billy Stanley, whose mother is cared for at the Surbiton home.
The football has been signed by the north London club’s 1976-77 squad, and has more than a dozen signatures.
The ball is signed by players including Steve Perryman, who made a club record 854 first team appearances for Spurs, and legendary Northern Ireland keeper Pat Jennings.
Fulham fan Billy said he was given the ball shortly after it was signed by a friend who was a relative of Perryman, and plans to sell it on eBay.
He said: “I have friends that are chomping at the bit for the ball, but I don’t want it going for nothing. I’d like to sell it and raise money for Royal Star & Garter.
“My mum moved in at the beginning of March, just before the first lockdown, so we haven’t seen very much of the home. But my cousin is an audiologist who visits the home and says how good it is.
“My mum is very happy there, and if she’s happy, we’re happy too. I think it would be great to auction off the ball and raise some money for the charity.”
The ball also bears the signatures of England internationals Cyril Knowles and Ralph Coates, as well as manager Keith Burkinshaw, who would go on to lead the club to back-to-back FA Cup successes and UEFA Cup glory.
The charity provides care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia.
The ball is being auctioned on ebay.
