Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough Online Auction is back… and this time the target is £1 million!

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Breakthrough Breast Cancer call for businesses to support online auction held in memory of the legendary football player manager

29 April 2013, London, UK – The great and the good from the world of football came out in force at last night’s PFA Awards Dinner to pledge their support to the second ever Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough Online Auction.  

Led by PFA CEO Gordon Taylor OBE, along with David Sheepshanks CBE Chairman of St. Georges Park and Richard Bevan the CEO of The League Managers Association, the industry came on board to urge businesses and individuals to donate a prize to the online auction in memory of the late football hero, Sir Bobby Robson.

The first Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough Auction in 2011 raised close to a quarter of a million pounds for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and so in 2013 the charities are determined to go further and have set an ambitious target of £1 million. 

The auction will open for bids between 12th – 27th October 2013 and is set to garner even more media attention than before, bolstered by BT Sport and BT MyDonate coming on board as headline supporter; the ongoing involvement and support from A-list celebrities and sports stars alike; and multiple media partners, ensuring vast exposure. 

With many of the auction lots for 2013 still a closely guarded secret, those interested in donating a prize need only see the list of those involved in 2011 to know the illustrious company they would be keeping…

Some of the star lots were Jose Mourinho’s FIFA Ballon D’Or 2010 World Coach of the Year Award Trophy, donated by the man himself, along with FC Barcelona donating two prizes to watch them training, meet the players, receive a signed shirt and being VIP guests at Camp Nou.  

Sir Alex Ferguson, Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola, Andre Villas Boas, Alan Pardew, Arsene Wenger, Lewis Hamilton, Gary Lineker, Graeme Swann, David Beckham, and Ant & Dec were all fellow donators of lots.  Other auction prizes included a week at a luxury resort in the Bahamas, tickets for the final of The Masters Snooker, the chance to drive a Jaguar for a week and a VIP Experience at the Professional Footballers Association Awards. 

Explains auction committee Chairman Lance Bradley, MD of Mitsubishi Motors UK, “Whether it’s a VIP football or sporting experience, a holiday, a year’s supply of chocolate, a luxury weekend break, unique one-off experiences, we need businesses and individuals to support us by donating prizes.  Those who do will not only enjoy the association with some of the world’s biggest sporting names and exposure in our extensive marketing campaign, they will also have the satisfaction of knowing they are supporting cancer causes close to the hearts of Sir Bobby Robson and his family.”

The money raised this year will go towards supporting clinical trials for new cancer treatments, ongoing support of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, as well as two Suffolk hospitals.

Mark Robson,  Sir Bobby’s son and part of the auction committee, continues: “Sadly, cancer is likely to affect every one of us in one way or another and my family knows first hand the pain it can cause.  That’s why we are so committed to continuing the work started by my father in supporting research for new treatments.  My family and I are very grateful to everyone who has already contributed a prize and we continue to be astounded by the generosity of the businesses and individuals who get involved.”

The online auction is being supported again by Breakthrough Breast Cancer Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, major football and sports clubs globally, plus sporting bodies, and many other organisations and corporations who have pledged their full support.

Gina Long, the auction’s founder, concluded:  “I was lucky enough to know Sir Bobby and Lady Elsie for over 35 years.  Sir Bobby was loved the world over and I wanted to create something very special to honour him.  The online auction is a fantastic platform that allows everybody to become involved in helping us raise crucial funds for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and two Suffolk hospitals. We have been overwhelmed by the global support and want to encourage businesses and individuals to get involved by generously becoming a prize donor – it really will make the biggest difference in helping us to create what we think will be one of the most exciting and high profile fundraisers of 2013.”

For more information on how to donate, visit: www.sirbobbysbreakthrough.com