BALTI Sports’ boss Marco Nott admitted to being “speechless” after the rip-roaring success of the club’s fundraising night featuring England legend Kevin Keegan.
The evening with the former Liverpool and Hamburg maestro was a 120-strong sell-out and Balti’s fourth such event after welcoming Paul Merson, Matt le Tissier and Neil Ruddock in previous years.
Ex-Newcastle and Manchester City manager Keegan gave a humorous presentation based on his career after comedian Ian Richards had the audience in stitches with a memorable routine.
Auction bids for match shirts signed by World Cup and multiple Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard and current Reds striker Darwin Nuñez raised several thousand pounds for Balti.
READ MORE: Neil 'Razor' Ruddock helps raise thousands for Balti Sports
There was also a surprise Keegan-signed Newcastle shirt up for grabs and the club’s well-stocked raffle added to funds raised, which go towards maintaining Balti’s very existence.
Speaking after the event, Nott, a lifelong Newcastle fan, said: “It’s gone way better than I dreamed of.
“Kevin’s been outstanding. He’s met everyone, spoke to everyone and signed everything. He’s just an absolute legend and icon for me as a Newcastle fan.
“To the general public he’s an absolute hero and lived up to expectation.
“It’s the first time we’ve sold out and the auction has gone well above my expectation.
“We’ve obviously got great prizes and that’s been reflected in the bids. Everyone’s had good value and I think we’ve trumped the last three nights we’ve had.
“Every event is getting bigger and bigger and it’s going to be very hard to top this.”
Asked for his plans in 2024, Nott said: “Maybe John Barnes or Glenn Hoddle, someone like that. It’s going to be hard.
“I want to do two a year now, an end-of-season one and then one at this time of year.
“It means a lot to me, stuff like this. It’s not my day job but it’s something I really enjoy, it’s my passion.
“I love Balti and all this helps Balti. It’s nice to be supported by the players and I’m speechless. It’s a bit surreal.”
Speaking exclusively to Echosport, Keegan was only too pleased to help a grassroots club having in 1968 begun his career in the Fourth Division at Scunthorpe United.
“It’s probably more important to me than most players because I didn’t start at one of the big clubs,” the 72-year-old said.
“I don’t think my club Scunthorpe were that far away from playing against the likes of Weymouth, who are in the sixth division now.
“These clubs (like Balti Sports) are really grassroots so they need to do stuff outside of playing football to keep things going. Hopefully we’ve raised a lot of money for them.”
Between 2022 and 2025, the Premier League will invest £1.6 billion to help non-League and grassroots clubs in the country to improve their facilities.
Asked if the powers that be could do more to support clubs such as Balti, Keegan said: “Obviously the big money’s at the top of the game and that’s right.
“Could they help more? The answer’s got to be yes. The average wage of a Premier League player is £60,000 a week.
“If you give a club like this £60,000 for a year it would go a long way to solving all the problems.
“So, yes, I don’t know how and I’m not going to suggest anything, but you’d have thought a bit more would filter through to grassroots because that’s where everybody starts.
“A player could be playing for Weymouth, or Balti, or any of the local sides now, be a young kid, and could be playing at Liverpool. The opportunity is there.
“I’m a big supporter of it and I love working at the smaller clubs because that’s where the effort goes in, with everyone pitching in.”
Keegan, whose nearest non-League club is Altrincham, revealed due to work he has only attended one live game in the last three years, between his former sides Manchester City and Newcastle United.
During the evening, Keegan did not comment further on the debate surrounding his views on female pundits working in the men’s game.
His comments were made two weeks ago at a similar function in Bristol, where he also praised female presenters and spoke of the current footballing landscape being a ‘great time’ for ladies working in the sport.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel