A prestigious football used in this year’s Carabao Cup Final at Wembley is being auctioned to help an East Staffordshire school transform its playground.
Fund-raisers at Outwoods Primary School in Harehedge Lane, Burton, were thrilled to be given the ball by the English Football League (EFL) after reaching out to them for help.
And they’re excited to see what it might make when it goes under the hammer in Hansons Auctioneers’ sports memorabilia sale on May 17 with a £500-£800 estimate.
The size 5 Puma ball was used at Wembley on February 26, 2023 when Manchester United faced Newcastle United. The Red Devils won 2-0 to lift the Carabao Cup trophy.
Dominik Stingas-Paczko, chair of the Parent Teacher Friends Association (PTFA) at Outwoods Primary, which his children aged six and eight attend, explained how the sporting gesture came about: “I’m Head of Participation and Community Engagement for the English Football League Trust, the charitable arm of the EFL, which has a charity policy for staff.
“We have been working hard at the school to raise money. An adventure playground is falling apart. It’s had to be cordoned off for two years. The children can’t access it.
“We looked at getting basic repairs done but they would only last two years so the dream is to replace it. We need £10,000 to do that. There’s been a big fund-raising push and we’re getting there.
“I approached the EFL to see if they could help and I was delighted when the ball arrived. It’s pretty unusual to get a donation like that. This ball has been on the pitch at Wembley. You can see boot marks on it from where it’s been kicked around.
“Everyone at the school is excited to see what it might make at auction. We hope it may be enough to reach that £10,000 goal. We want to provide a new adventure playground because it would be a permanent legacy that would benefit children at the school for decades to come.”
David Wilson-Turner, head of sports memorabilia at Hansons, said: “I hope we can smash expectations and help this highly-prized ball achieve its potential. It’s unusual to be able to offer a match-used ball from a recent high-profile game.
“It will appeal to both Manchester United and Newcastle fans for different reasons. Man Utd supporters will like it as it marks an important victory. Though the result didn’t go Newcastle’s way it was the club’s first final since the 1999 FA Cup final, whch saw them lose 2-0, yet again to Manchester United.
“The game meant so much to Magpies supporters, on the day of the final, the Met Police estimated at least 100,000 Newcastle United fans, with and without tickets, were in and around Wembley.”
The football will be offered in Hansons May 17 Football in Focus and Sports Memorabilia Auction.
Catalogues/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk and www.the-saleroom.com | Catalogue due live May 10.
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