‘An Afternoon with Steph Houghton’ played out in front of over 120 supporters, with some of the audience given the opportunity to submit questions to and have their photo taken with the former City and Lionesses captain.
Steph was joined on stage by presenter Natalie Pike, as they ran through her illustrious career and spoke about subjects including her time with Team GB, time settling in at City, hopes for the future of the women’s game, and her final home match against Arsenal.
Speaking at the event, Steph said: “I couldn’t have wished for a better send off, everybody knows I don’t need stuff like that to know what the club thinks of me but that typifies what this club is and the people that are involved.
“Obviously we were disappointed with the result but at the same time, to be able to have that guard of honour, to have all of those video messages, to have the fans singing your name, it was unbelievable and a day I’ll never forget.”
The afternoon had other entertainment on offer including a raffle and auction in aid of City in the Community, whilst supporters enjoyed drinks and a two-course meal in between each session of questions.
At the event, Steph was also inducted into the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame for her huge impact on the women’s game at domestic and international level, and her monumental influence on the growth of the game in this country.
Commenting on the success of the event, Mike Geary, Chief Executive Officer of City in the Community, said:
“This event was only the second of its kind following on from An Evening with Kevin De Bruyne last year, and they have both been big successes. It has been great to see so many people coming together to not only hear from a club legend, but also support two great organisations.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the staff that have put a lot of hard work in to run the event so smoothly.
“To not only generate income for City in the Community, but also a fantastic organisation like Darby Rimmer shows how important events like this can be, I look forward to seeing more in the future.”
The afternoon with Steph Houghton raised funds for City in the Community, and the Darby Rimmer Foundation, which aims to raise awareness of MND, as well as helping to fund and assist research into the illness with the quest of finding a cure.
Specifically, funds raised for CITC will support the charity’s Healthy Goals campaign, which aims to uplift the physical and mental health of young people by creating new community football spaces in Manchester.
If you would like to support CITC and the Healthy Goals initiative, you can do so by visiting campaign’s landing page below.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HEALTHY GOALS
Fans can also continue to support City in the Community by donating through the monthly prize draw, which also gives you the chance to get your hands on signed player shirts, cash prizes and much more each month for just £5 a ticket.
Every penny raised from the ‘City in the Community Prize Draw’ will go towards sustaining the charity’s programmes, which place physical and mental wellbeing at their core, whilst also creating healthy futures and healthy communities.
SUPPORT CITY IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE CITC PRIZE DRAW
Entries are £5 per ticket; supporters can enter on a one-off basis, or they can sign up to a direct debit, meaning they enter the draw monthly automatically.
Visit www.mancity.com/citcprizedraw to take part.
City in the Community empowers healthier lives with city youth through football.
To find out more, visit www.mancity.com/CITC or follow the charity on social media @CITCmancity.
