Knockout Donation - Muhammad Ali Match Ball

By From Town To Town29/11 17:12Fri Nov 29 17:12:39 2024

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MUHAMMAD ALI - WORLD CLASS DONATION 🥊💥⚽️

FTTT were stunned to be donated a remarkable piece of Nuneaton sporting memorabilia today.

We have been given the match ball ⚽️ from the Boro v Bedworth game when Muhammad Ali attended Manor Park in 1984.

What's more, it was signed by the great man himself and albeit now faded with age, you can still see the signature when viewed in person 🖊

The ball belonged to Boro chairman Noel Kelly and was given to his close friend Mike Malyon after Noel passed away.

The ball will shortly be added to our FTTT display at The Chilvers Coton Heritage Centre in Avenue Road (open Tues, Thurs, Sat 10-1pm).

We would like to thank Mike for helping us to preserve a truly iconic piece of sporting history for future generations 👏.

Mike has kindly provided the background story and provenance regarding the ball, as follows;

"Muhammad Ali was once described as "the most famous man in the world" and on Bank Holiday Monday, May 7th, 1984, he paid a surprise visit to Manor Park. Fans who arrived, on a bitter cold morning, to watch the Midland Floodlit Cup final between Nuneaton Borough and Bedworth United were stunned when Ali arrived sitting in the back of a open-top 1928 Rolls Royce car. He was alongside Borough chairman Noel Kelly who had negotiated to get Ali to attend the match, while the former world boxing champion was in the Midlands on a promotional tour. Ali was driven around the pitch, throwing signed tennis balls to the crowd, who stood in disbelief to see 'The Greatest' in person. The game finished 1-1 after extra time . The teams shared the trophy, which was presented by Ali, along with medals to the players. Afterwards, at a reception in the Vice Presidents Bar, Ali posed for photographs and stayed for over an hour, demonstrating magic tricks. He was interviewed by Nuneaton and Bedworth Trader Editor Mike Malyon and also scribbled his name on the match ball, handed to him by Noel Kelly.
After Noel passed away, in November 2023, that actual ball was passed on to Mike Malyon, via Noel's son Sean Kelly, and has now been donated to the From Town to Town exhibition."

💙⚽️ Photos available on our Facebook page ⚽️💙

From Town To Town - Nuneaton's Footballing Heritage

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