The Newcastle Jets have raised almost $66,000 for the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) in just over six weeks.
The Newcastle Jets have raised almost $66,000 for the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) in just over six weeks through a Qantas Challenge jersey auction that concluded today on Ebay. and a unique partnership where the Jets donate $5,000 for every home goal scored and $2,500 for every away goal scored.
Signed, match-worn jerseys from Jets and LA Galaxy star players including David Beckham and Kasey Wehrman attracted almost 700 viewers and sold for a combined total of $18,348.
The Jets- nine home and away goals since Saturday 16 October and a goal from LA Galaxy on Saturday night pushed the club-s goal donations tally to $47,500.
Today-s finale to the five-day jersey auction follows last Saturday-s thrilling Qantas Challenge match, won by the Jets 2-1 in front of 23,317 fans.
The players involved signed and donated their jerseys at half time of the match and donned a second set for the second half, to allow them the opportunity to swap jerseys with their opponents at the end of the match. In David Beckham-s case, one lucky fan from Sydney latched onto his second jersey when he threw it into the crowd at full time.
It was Beckham-s Number 23 jersey that attracted the most interest in the auction; selling for $10,400, while Wehrman lead the way for the Jets with his jersey going for $1001.
Jets Executive Chairman Ken Edwards said the goal donations and jersey auction underlined the club-s commitment to helping the community.
“The Qantas Challenge was all about bringing a premium international event to the people of Newcastle and the Hunter region,” Edwards said today.
“It was great to see football fans enjoyed themselves at the event and through our online auction, were able to bid for the jerseys their heroes wore on the night.
“HMRI-s efforts help fight disease not just in Australia but around the world, and we-re proud to be able to support that cause.”
FINAL SALE PRICES
Jets Charity Auction
Jets Jerseys
Kasey Wehrman Newcastle Jets Jersey #7 AU $1001.00
Nikolai Topor-Stanley – Newcastle Jets Jersey #14 AU $731.00
Ruben Zadkovich Newcastle Jets Jersey #10 AU $690.00
Ben Kantarovski Newcastle Jets Jersey #6 AU $627.00
Tarek Elrich Newcastle Jets Jersey #11 AU $617.00
Marko Jesic Newcastle Jets Jersey #18 AU $600.00
Galaxy Jerseys
David Beckham LA Galaxy Jersey #23 AU $10,401.00
Landon Donovan LA Galaxy Jersey #10 AU $1,125.00
Edson Buddle LA Galaxy Jersey #14 AU $865.00
Omar Gonzalez LA Galaxy Jersey #4 AU $560.00
Donovan Ricketts LA Galaxy Jersey #1 AU $521.00
Eddie Lewis LA Galaxy Jersey #6 AU $510.00
