Football shirts to be sold for quake victims

KEITH LYNCH

Last updated 05:00 28/04/2011

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DAVID HALLETT/The Press

FUNDRAISERS: Jeff Whittingham with some of the shirts to be auctioned.

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A Christchurch man is hoping to net thousands of dollars for Canterbury earthquake victims by selling a collection of signed Premier League football shirts.

In the weeks after the February quake, anaesthetic technician Jeff Whittingham set about gathering the shirts from English football's top clubs to raise cash for Christchurch.

Whittingham, a Liverpudlian who moved to New Zealand seven years ago, contacted friends in Liverpool for help.

Once he had received Liverpool and Everton shirts, autographed by the clubs' top players, he contacted the Premier League's other clubs.

Now he has six shirts – three from the Merseyside clubs and others from Wigan, Sunderland and Blackburn. Bolton, Wolves and Newcastle shirts were in the post, he said.

Whittingham plans to sell the shirts on Trade Me, with the proceeds going to the Red Cross 2011 Earthquake appeal.

He said some English clubs said "no", while others, including Chelsea, provided signed pictures of top players.

"I phoned and hassled people for them," he said. "I'm proud of the north of England, who donated all the shirts, and particularly proud of my home city."

Whittingham hoped the signed Liverpool shirt could fetch up to $1500.

The six auctions can be viewed here.

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