Testimonial match

A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, particularly in football in the United Kingdom and South America, where a club has a match to honour a player for service to the club. These matches are always non-competitive.[1]

History

The practice started at a time when player compensation, even those at top professional clubs, was at a level that made it difficult to maintain it as a primary form of employment therefore retirement savings might not exist. These matches are generally well-attended and the gesture by the club can give the honoree income that enables a retirement income base or enable the honoree an opportunity to establish themselves in other employment when they finished playing. This is still the main objective of testimonials in Australia and some other countries.

Clubs typically grant testimonials to players upon reaching ten years of service with a club, although in recent years they have been given to players for particular circumstances such as approaching retirement. Typically, the club invites (depending on the career of the honoree) current or retired teammates (typically the honoree's club and national team) to participate in the match or with the associated festivities. All proceeds from the match go to the player which depending on the applicable country laws may be tax-free.

These matches have become less frequent as changes have occurred in football that make the original purpose less needed or appreciated. Wages have increased, players may not stay with a club as long as they had formerly and those top players that have the esteem of the public and in the past had financial need for such assistance make it less likely for the public support the purpose of these matches.[2][3][4] However, testimonial matches for players who have given many years of service to the club (i.e. one-club men) and are popular with fans and have a higher turnout.

Testimonials in top-level football have continued to honour a player but have increasingly become charitable affairs, in which the player gives part or all of the proceeds to charitable activities. For example, longtime Sunderland and Republic of Ireland star Niall Quinn, in a "friendly" in 2002 at the Stadium of Light, donated all of the nearly-£1-million proceeds of the match to the charitable foundation he started that go to the support of children's hospitals in Tyne and Wear, Ireland, and India.[3] Another high-profile charitable testimonial was that of England rugby player Martin Johnson, held at Twickenham on 4 June 2005. This event, which featured many rugby union stars, benefited children's and cancer charities. On 4 September 2010, a crowd of 35,682 attended Jamie Carragher's testimonial match at Anfield, after fifteen years of service to Liverpool, and helped to raise more than £1 million for the defender's "23 Foundation" charity.[5]

Some long-serving players of recent years, such as Chelsea stars Frank Lampard and John Terry, have not been awarded testimonial matches.[6]

Players who have received testimonials

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Lucas Radebe: The original Kaiser Chief". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Should testimonials be scrapped?". BBC Sport. 25 May 2001. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Payback time for footballers?". BBC Sport. 21 January 2002. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Time to Do Away With Testimonials for Rich Footballers
  5. 1 2 http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/carra-on-target-in-derby-win
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Leatherdale, Duncan (1 August 2016). "What's the point of football testimonials like Wayne Rooney's?". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Chiles, Adrian (17 November 2016). "The match that pitted white players against black players". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  8. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jun/04/michael-carrick-testimonial-old-trafford-wayne-rooney
  9. ↑ "Brian Ching Testimonial Match". Houston Dynamo.
  10. ↑ Leitch, Adam (9 May 2016). "Kelvin Davis confirms that his testimonial game will be his last for Southampton". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  11. ↑ "Steven Gerrard: Liverpool captain has testimonial with Olympiakos". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  12. ↑ Hardie, David (9 July 2017). "Hibs 2, Sunderland 2: Hibees fight back in Stevenson’s testimonial". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  13. ↑ "LEGENDS RETURN AS UNITED TRIUMPH IN TATE TESTIMONIAL". Swansea City AFC. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  14. ↑ "Over 16,000 fans salute GOAL scoring hero Andy Wilkinson at testimonial". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 17 May 2016.


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