Manchester United stars and ex-players took part in the Icons of Football charity golf event on June 23rd – 25th, alongside other celebrated players from across the world. The event raised money for several charities and attracted thousands of spectators.
The Icons of Football event was held on the Brabazon course, the main course on the Belfry resort in Sutton and famous for holding prestigious tournaments, including the European Cups and Ryder Cups. The Icons of Football was a Ryder-style game between an international mash-up of top-name stars, including Man United greats Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, Andy Cole and Paul Scholes.
Other players who took part in the event included Robbie Fowler and James Milner from Liverpool; Phil Jagielka; Aston Villa players Patrick Berger, Dwight Yorke and Peter Schmeichel; Manchester City manager Pep Guardrola; Italian striker Alessandro Del Piero; and Argentinian Gabriel Batistuta.
The players were split into two teams, England versus the Rest of the World, and competed over the course of three days in a friendly game for charity. To make the event even more spectacular, the England team was captained by professional golfer Lee Westwood, a competitor in the UK Golf Open with 66/1 odds on BetStars of outright winning, and the Rest of the World was led by golf legend Darren Clarke.
Spectators lined up in the thousands to catch glimpses of their favorite stars teeing off over the weekend. They were also treated to a variety of entertainment on the sidelines, from play areas, meet-and-greet sessions, BBQs and stalls to VIP tents with DJs and drinks.
The event closed on the Sunday night with an exclusive gala dinner at the VOC Centre in Resorts World, which included live band acts from 80s musicians Tony Hardley and Paul Carrack.
The Icons of Football is not the first event of its kind. The company was started by Tom Brookes, who was approached by the famous MGM resort in Las Vegas to create a unique entertainment event for stars and celebrities. This eventually led to Shadow Creek and the birth of the Iconique company. Brookes went on and fashioned the Dubai Creek in 2015, followed by the Icons of Football event this year. Future events are likely to include a similar golf tournament Icons of Rugby.
The Icons of Football golf tournament helped to raise money for charity. Spectators paid £18 per person for day tickets to the event, with weekend tickets also sold. VIP packages went for around £270, and entry to the Sunday night gala dinner was charged separately at £199 per person.
Proceeds were split between three charities: The Special Effect, Bluebell Hospice and Smile for Joel, a charity set up for football referee Joel Richards, who died tragically in Tunisia in 2015.
The event was a success, and among the epic moments was a perfect (and pretty flukey) chip shot from City boss Pep Gaurdiola, who was partnered with Ryan Giggs for the game.