Avid Blues fan Ricky Hatton will be taking on a team of Manchester City Old Boys for a charity football match tomorrow in memory of Linzi Ashton.
Tragic mother-of-two Linzi was murdered by her partner last year and all proceeds from the match will go to Manchester domestic abuse charity Victim Support.
Former Citizens stars, including Peter Barnes, Gary Bennett and Richard Edghill, will be showcasing their skills at Hyde FC ground Ewen Fields against Hatton’s Victim Support VIPs.
The VIPs, led by the Manchester boxing legend, are made up of support workers, policeman and domestic care workers who all play a major part in helping victims recover.
Also making an appearance at the charity match will be City favourite Mike Summerbee who has backed Victim Support in the past.
Both teams will be competing for the Linzi Ashton Memorial Cup, which will presented by Linzi’s mum Philomena in honour of her late daughter at the end of the game.
Victim Support Manchester’s Angela Stewart told MM: “We are hoping to raise money for our charity which deals with helping and aiding victims of domestic abuse across Manchester.
“We have organised a football match because we think it is really relevant in a World Cup year and football is a great way of getting people’s attention about a really serious issue that affects a lot of lives.
“We are really excited for the match.”
The Hyde ground has a capacity of more than 4,000 people and Angela hopes that the game will be a stand-out success.
“We have sold a couple of hundred tickets already but we have high hopes that a lot of people will turn up on the day,” she added.
“We really believe that it is going to be a great event. After the match, we have organised a raffle with prices – including a signed glove from Ricky and the City Old Boys have been generous in donating lot of memorabilia.”
Victim Support is only partially-funded by government grants and they rely on charity events like Saturday’s match to ensure they can carry on the vital work that they do for victims.
The charity plays a pivotal role in helping victims of domestic abuse get back on their feet so they can carry on with the rest of their lives.
Image courtesy of Hatton TV via Youtube with thanks
