Welcome to the Private memorabilia collection of 'theyflysohigh'
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A testimonial match is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club.
By tradition, clubs typically grant testimonials to players upon reaching 10 years of service with a club, although they sometimes are given to players with less service as they approach retirement. These matches are always non-competitive. Typically, former greats for the club are invited to participate, either in the match itself or the surrounding festivities. For especially prominent players, some all-time greats of the game may be invited, or the opposition can be a national team. Alternatively, if a player is strongly identified with more than one club team, the testimonial may involve the player's current and past clubs. All proceeds from the match go to the player.
The practice started in the days when players, even those at top professional clubs, were paid far less than they are today. Few players were able to live on their club wages, much less save for retirement. The testimonial was a charitable gesture by the club; as testimonials were typically very well-attended matches, the practice of giving the players the proceeds from the match often enabled the honorees either to retire or establish themselves in another line of work once they finished playing.
In recent years, testimonials have been less frequent, especially in the top levels of European professional football and other sports in which the top players are able to make enormous salaries, many times the average wage. Today's top-level player often have far less need for the money from a testimonial than players from the past would have. Also, because of changes in the structure of the professional game, players are far less likely to stay with one club for an extended period of time than in past decades. Finally, many fans are disinclined to come to testimonials for top professionals, since they are often perceived as giving a huge windfall to a player who most likely does not need the money.
West Ham United Benefit games
TOMMY ALLISON
West Ham United 2 - 4 Portsmouth
Western League
14 December 1908
Recognition of long and
loyal service from one of the
club’s all time greats
Please choose a Player to view
West Ham v. Glasgow Celtic
Upton Park’s First
Testimonial Match
Charlie's Night
TOM ROBINSON
West Ham United v. Queens Park Rangers
14 October 1912
Geoff Hallas’ & Brian Moore’s
Short West Ham Careers
After several thwarted comebacks, a persistent knee injury finally forced John Lyall into early retirement
The midfield dynamo's special day was against top Yugoslavian side Dinamo Zagreb
Billy Bonds received the extremely rare honour of being awarded not one, but two testimonial games!
After 12 seasons of first team
action Boyce was a worthy
recipient of a benefit game
West Ham supporters pay tribute to Ken Brown “king and jester at
Upton Park for 14 seasons
Ferguson's testimonial came two
days after the Hammers had
clinched the Second Division title
Wally St. Pier was awarded a testimonial after 45 years service
On and off the field he was a
shining example of loyalty
The benefit game turned out to be memorable in more ways than one
£5,000 signing from Southall, Devonshire played 448 competive first team games over 14 seasons
Parkes served West Ham during arguably the club’s most successful decade
'Stretch' was the recipient of two richly deserved testimonial games
Walker’s West Ham career stretched from 1932 to 1957
Smokey's testimonial was held two years after he had left the Hammers
Well deserved testimonial after
50 years of loyal service
Reliability and calmness made him an ideal captain
Posthumously awarded testimonial for a loyal
West Ham servant
An Upton Park thank you to 'Tonka' who contributed 12-years to the Hammers' cause
Heffer's playing career may have been curtailed but he continues to serve the Hammers
John Bond was on stand-by for England’s 1958 World Cup
in Sweden
Please note:
The benefit ticket was printed with the wrong year date of 1907 instead of 1908
West Ham United (Burton, Shea)
Clark
Gault
Harwood
Allison
Chalkley
Jarvis
Frost
Grassam
Shea
Burton
Blackburn
Pat Holland one of West Ham's Unsung Heros
Awarded in recognition of his early retirement
670 appearances plus and some crucial goals, Lampard was a worthy recipient of a testimonial
A poignant moment in the 1958-59 season for one of its star players.