Football legend Kevin Keegan will be back on his old stomping ground in the spring when the former Newcastle United player turned manager returns to share stories from across his career.
The local favourite - who also played for and managed the England team during a career which takes in stand-out spells on the pitch for Liverpool and other manager roles at Fulham and Manchester City - will clearly have plenty to talk about on February 12 when Tyne Theatre & Opera House hosts his special event, An Audience with Kevin Keegan.
Sky Sports host Pete Graves will lead the chat and tickets for the fan-pleaser evening, which also will include an auction and memorabilia, will go on sale at the Newcastle theatre on Wednesday, November 9. Prices start at £35 for gallery seats and go up to £195 for a Platinum package which includes a pre-show drinks reception; photo opportunity, signings and best seating.
Read more: Sozzled Shakespeare - drunk actors promise Tyne Theatre a staggeringly good show
Keegan, OBE, has become an inspirational speaker over recent years and the audience will be in for a treat when he recounts tales from across his impressive career which includes a six-year spell as captain of England until his international retirement following the 1982 World Cup. The evening of stories will include a question-and-answer session to offer the audience extra insight.
Keegan began his football career in 1968 at Scunthorpe United where he made his debut as a 17-year-old before moving to Liverpool in 1971 where he went on to win three First Division titles; two UEFA Cups; the FA Cup and the European Cup during his six years at the club.
From Liverpool, he joined Hamburger SV, winning more honours with the Bundesliga title and reaching the European Cup final. He was voted European Footballer of the Year in both 1978 and 1979 before he returned to UK football, spending two seasons at Southampton before joining Newcastle United - then in the Second Division - and helping them gain promotion.
When he retired as a player in 1984, Keegan had been capped 63 times for England, scoring 21 international goals. After a break from the game, he started out upon a managerial career, first at Newcastle, in 1992, securing promotion to the top-flight and narrowly missing out on the Premiership title to finish second in the 1995-1996 season.
Fulham appointed him manager in 1997 before he accepted the England manager’s job in 1999. He next joined Manchester City in May 2001 and led the team to promotion as First Division Champions and subsequently to qualification for the UEFA Cup.
And later local fans welcomed him back on his brief return to management with Newcastle before he went on to devote his time to business interests and media work. He is set to warmly welcomed to the city again upon his return in February.
Jo Johnson, director of Tyne Theatre, said: “We’re excited for Kevin to come and join audiences at our theatre, to tell stories about his wonderful career in football. Our in-conversation programme is really strong and we’re happy to add such a big sporting name to it."
For tickets to An Audience with Kevin Keegan see here. Information about other events coming up at the theatre can be found here.
Read next:
