Celebrity Football Match and Dinner
- Tickets for the match on October 22 cost just £5 and are available for purchase IN PERSON ONLY at the Manchester City FC box Office.
- Tickets for the Dinner on October 21, costing £450 for a table of ten, are available by contacting Tony Eckersall on 0161 2865340.
STARS from top television dramas Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Sky One's Dream Team will be donning their football kits for the DebRA Celebrity Football Match on Sunday October 22.
The match will see the Emmerdale team go up against the All Stars team. It will kick off at the Athletics Stadium next to Manchester City Football Ground in Manchester and football and soap fans are invited to cheer on their favourite players.
The event will raise vital funds for DebRA, which supports families affected by the genetic skin blistering condition EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa). EB was brought to the public’s attention by the award-winning documentary The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off.
Coronation Street star Julia Haworth, who together with colleague Julie Hesmondhalgh is a vice president of DebRA, helped to make the event happen and will be there on the day to cheer on the All Stars team.
Julia, who plays troubled Claire Peacock, said: “As an actress I have to imagine what life is like for the characters I play and try to feel their emotions. However, when it comes to imagining what life with EB is like I simply fail. The pain and suffering that children and adults with EB go through is more than I can bear thinking about, yet 5,000 people across the UK are living with that pain every day. The families I have met make me feel so humble.
“This football match will be a great event for the whole family and I would urge people to buy their tickets and come along on October 22 to cheer on their favourite team.”
Tickets for the match are available now for collection in person only at the Manchester City FC box office. Costing just £5 per ticket, the crowd of 6,000 football and soap fans are promised an exciting match. The gates open on match day (Sunday October 22) at 12 noon and kick off is at 1pm.
Players from Emmerdale who are taking part include Ben Freeman (Scott Windsor) Jim Hooton (Sam Dingle) Kelvin Fletcher (Andy Sugden) and Cleveland Campbell (Danny Daggert).
The All Stars team line up has yet to be confirmed but promises to include big names from Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Dream Team.
The night before the big game, a Dinner is taking place at the Victoria and Albert Marriott Hotel in Manchester when players will enjoy a three-course dinner and entertainment. Tickets cost £450 for a table of ten.
If you would like to attend the dinner and get a chance to mingle with the celebrity teams, then please contact Tony Eckersall, DebRA’s regional fundraising manager, on 0161 2865340.
Tony Eckersall said: “DebRA has a strong relationship with Coronation Street, as actors Julia Haworth and Julie Hesmondhalgh, who play Claire Peacock and Hayley Cropper, are vice presidents of the charity and cast members regularly support DebRA.
“We are delighted that the stars from Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Dream Team are also supporting such a worthwhile cause.
“We are very excited about the match. It promises to be a great game, very entertaining for the crowd and, most importantly, it should raise a fantastic amount of money for DebRA.
"Thanks to Manchester City FC and the Athletics and Squash Centre for their support."
