Sky Bet, the title sponsor of the EFL has announced a total of £104,964 raised for The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal through its 2015 Poppy Shirt Auction.
Clubs from the Sky Bet Championship donated their match-worn, signed shirts to the auction with fans bidding on their favourite players’ jerseys on the Legion’s eBay page.
Over 650 shirts were auctioned over last year’s Remembrance weekend along with 12 limited-edition commemorative footballs with bids from throughout the UK.
The most expensive shirt was worn by Leeds United’s Alex Mowatt in their win over local rivals Huddersfield Town, which made £2,000.
Shirts from Middlesbrough made the most of any club, with the 32 shirts on offer selling for a combined £7,874.
Sky Bet, The Royal British Legion and the clubs of the Sky Bet Championship will join forces once again this year to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal.
Shirts worn on fixtures across 18-20th November will be auctioned on the Legion’s eBay page, along with 12 limited-edition balls emblazoned with the emblematic poppy logo.
This activity will support the British Legion’s national campaign, Sport Remembers the Somme, to commemorate the role played by sporting men and women for the centennial year.
The 2016 campaign was launched along with a cheque presentation for last year’s fundraising effort by Birmingham City players Che Adams and Michael Morrison, Sky Bet’s Sandro Di Michele and The Royal British Legion’s Chris Vernazza at Birmingham’s training ground yesterday [Wednesday 19 October].
Birmingham City captain Michael Morrison said: “It’s important for players to wear the poppies on our shirts at this time of year to raise awareness for this worthy cause.
“I’ve got friends who have gone to war for the country, so for me it’s a personal honour to wear to poppy and highlight the fact that people have sacrificed themselves for us.”
Sky Bet spokesman Sandro Di Michele said: “We’re delighted to be continuing our relationship with the Royal British Legion into a third season after raising a terrific amount of money last year.
“The generosity shown by fans of Championship clubs was truly remarkable and we hope this year’s campaign will be no different.”
Royal British Legion Chris Vernazza said: “We’d like to extend our gratitude to Sky Bet for supporting the Legion through the shirt auction once again this year.
“The money raised for the Poppy Appeal goes towards supporting vital services such as The Royal British Legion’s Family Holiday Breaks, providing the families of serving and ex-Service personnel the chance to take a break away from the strains of everyday life.”
To register your interest in the auction, please visit: www.skybet.com/poppy