By Steve Goldby
February 1 2005

Supporters can square up and battle it out for a place on the Boro’s team sheet as Football Aid enters its fifth and most competitive year yet, allowing supporters from all over the world the chance to play on the hallowed turf of Middlesbrough Football Club. Whether you dream of being a defensive dynamo, a midfield maestro or silky striker, whatever the dream, the beautiful game’s supporters preferred football charity, Football Aid, announces the launch of the remaining positions for the 2005 series of events at The Riverside Stadium on it's website www.footballaid.com.



The well-known and fiercely competitive online auction marketplace is set to release positions at participating clubs all over the UK and with starting bids from as low as £250, everyone stands a fighting chance of playing where their heroes have gone before them.

The 2005 series of UK events Auction Program kicked off at on Thursday 13th January and will start to be closed on 4th March 2005. Successful bidders will have the opportunity to take to the field with former club players, who will captain each team on the day, and also to be managed by former legends from the touchline. More than just living the dream, each participant will fully experience just what it is like on match day for the professional players and at the same time contribute significantly to charity with money raised through participation going to a variety of charitable causes supported by the participating clubs as well as Football Aid’s preferred charity Diabetes Research.

Over the past four seasons, Football Aid has delivered over two hundred games on a UK club, European and national stage enabling 6,000 players to "Live the Dream" - playing in a regulated 90 minute game overseen by FA and SFA match officials. 2005 continues to offer the experience of playing at the best of UK clubs, including Middlesbrough.


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Sir Bobby Robson, patron, adds; “Football Aid is a fantastic opportunity for supporters to play where their heroes play and this year, Football Aid is doing better than ever – with more positions taken up, and very likely, much stronger competition for the bidding. Wherever Football is played, there are scores of supporters who live, breathe and sleep the day to day ups and downs of their club. It is these people that can live their dream, playing with former players in the strip of Boro on the Riverside pitch and make a difference to so many others by the fact that what they do, playing in a game on the pitch of their club, they raise money for people in need. And wherever football is played, there are many people in need of help and support.”

Scottish businessman, Craig Paterson, founded Football Aid to raise funds for diabetes charities after his son was diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes aged 11. As the charity has evolved, a proportion of the funds raised continues to go to diabetes research with the remainder going to charities nominated by participating clubs.

To secure a position at Boro in one of this year’s Football Aid games, willing participants should visit www.footballaid.com, register and bid to play. Positions will start to close on 4th of March 2005.