England Football Star Agrees to Patron the Challenge
Posted on 26th January, 2010
The Challenge Team are delighted to announce that Gary Lineker has agreed to patron the National Golf Club Challenge.
Gary recently visited British troops at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan and the bravery and commitment of UK service personnel Gary witnessed here moved him to want to assist British troops in any way he could which includes helping to launch the Tickets for Troops initiative and becoming patron to The National Golf Club Challenge in support of Help for Heroes.
"The National Golf Club Challenge is all about bringing the entire golfing community of the UK together on one day to show our support to our wounded service heroes whose selfless acts are an inspiration to us all. We may not be able to stop our service personnel from getting injured, but we can try to make sure they receive all they need when they arrive back from active duty. Our passion for golf can make a massive difference to the lives of our injured heroes, please be a part of it." Gary Lineker
Gary made his England debut in 1984 and over the following eight years earned 80 Caps and scored 48 goals, finishing as England's all-time second highest scorer. His international goals-to-games ratio remains one of the best for the country and he is regarded as one of the all-time best English strikers. He was top scorer in the 1986 World cup the only time an Englishman has achieved this feat.
Gary also scored vital goals that helped England reach the semi final stage of Italia 90 where they narrowly went out on penalties to Germany under the guidance of the late Sir Bobby Robson, who became one of Gary’s dearest friends.
During his professional career, Gary had the proud record of having never been cautioned or sent off by a referee.
After his retirement from football Gary moved into broadcasting and now presents flagship shows such as Match of the Day, Sport Relief and, until recently, the BBC’s Golf Coverage and has become one of the nation’s most loved sports presenters.
