Signed Brighton shirts raise thousands for charity

Signed Brighton and Hove Albion shirts have helped to raise thousands of pounds for the Royal British Legion, as part of a charity auction. As part of last year's Sky Bet Poppy Shirt Auction, Brighton jerseys raised a total of £5,874. In total, shirts from all clubs in the Sky Bet Championship last season raised £86,924. The signed match-worn poppy shirts were from Albion’s home game against Aston Villa on 19th November 2016. They were auctioned on Sky Bet’s eBay page and raised an average of £178. Anthony Knockaert's shirt raised the most, a tota of £405. The Royal British Legion’s Chris Vernazza added: “The Royal British Legion is delighted to have Sky Bet’s ongoing support, which, along with the help of the generous public who bid on the shirts and balls, has raised over £310,000 in the last three years for the charity. “The contribution is greatly appreciated and will assist the Legion in making a difference to the lives of Serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and their families, who are in need of our welfare services.” Brigthon were also one of the top three teams whose shirts raised the most money. They were Sheffield Wednesday (£7,237.54), Brighton & Hove Albion (£5,874.38) and Fulham (£4,924.80). The ten limited edition footballs used in Championship games across the period also raised £1,191. Sky Bet spokesman Sandro Di Michele said: “After the third season of a really rewarding partnership between ourselves and the Legion, we continue to be surprised by the generosity that fans show when bidding and donating to this important cause.  “We’d like to thank everyone who placed a bid on any of the items that were sold and thank the clubs in the Sky Bet Championship for their participation.”