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Tuesday 8 December 2015

Leeds United v Borussia Dortmund 1981


On Monday 27th April 1981, Leeds United played Borussia Dortmund from Leeds' twin city in a charity match from which all proceeds went to support the Leeds Children's Holiday Association. Manny Cussins, the Leeds chairman, said that this association "enables thousands of underprivileged children from Leeds to take a holiday every year at Silverdale overlooking Morecambe Bay."


The match was played during "Rotary Week", a national event to commemorate 70 years of Rotary service in the UK. Rotary Club of Leeds and that year's President, G Eric Forster, used the week to raise money for Silverdale - a camp that had succeeded our own camp at Harrogate founded way back in 1924. Leeds Rotary in fact arranged the match and the Leeds & Holbeck Building Society sponsored it. 

The Leeds team included such stars as John Lukic, Brian Greenhof, Terry Connor, Brian Flynn, Paul Hart and Trevor Cherry. The future England goalkeeper, David Seaman, was an unused substitute would you believe and none other than Clive Thomas was the referee. As it happens, Leeds United won 2-0 with Dortmund's Lothar Huber scoring an own goal on 55 minutes and Arthur Graham adding the second five minutes later. 

President's Centenary Charity