Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have teamed up once more to help raise over £100,000 for local causes across Merseyside.
The legendary Liverpool duo were part of a special fundraising event at the city centre's Hope Street Hotel as the Football For Change initiative held its Chairman's Lunch on Friday afternoon.
Both Gerrard and Carragher were in attendance to form part of a Q&A session with former Labour politician and broadcaster Alastair Campbell before live music was provided by Tom Grennan who performed his hits 'Little Bit of Love' and 'Remind Me'.
The 2005 Champions League winners spoke candidly about their time on the pitch at Anfield during iconic careers that spanned close to a combined 1500 games and included seven major honours each.
The pair also detailed their feelings around retiring from football and how their current jobs differ now with Gerrard in charge of Aston Villa and Carragher a respected pundit with Sky Sports.
On Friday, FFC announced it was funding a month-long sports and educational trip to Dallas for over 60 young people from socially and economically challenged communities from across the Liverpool City Region.
"I think with myself and Jamie, we try and do whatever we can and what's going on here and any help we can give from a support point of view for charity, we really try and do our best to fit it into our schedules," Gerrard told the ECHO at the event on Friday.
"But this one is important because I think there is obviously a lot of money being donated and it is creating big opportunities for people and obviously we've got the link to us as well and it just works.
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"It's full credit to Football For Change for the change that they are overseeing here. When you see the people who are on board and backing it from football it lets me know that I am doing the right thing as well.
"When you have played in the city and you see the change you can make, when you have that type of support it grows legs and then the more people that get involved and back it, the better it is for the charity."
The former Reds captain and current Villa boss added: “I am immensely proud to be involved with Football For Change. This is such an important initiative and I know from growing up that for a lot of young people good opportunities are scarce.
"We're aiming to change that and to give youngsters who've not necessarily had the best start in life a little bit of hope. For example, Football For Change funding the Dallas trip is fantastic and will give young people who need it the opportunity of a lifetime.
"More and more footballers and business leaders are getting involved with this initiative and I hope more do too. It will change lives for the better and make a real difference to young people who need a bit of support in life."
As part of the prizes on offer in a star-studded auction, a meet-and-greet experience with Gerrard in a hospitality box at Villa Park went for £8,000 while the chance of have dinner with Carragher and Gordon Ramsay at the chef's table of his Lucky Cat restaurant in London brought in £12,000 each from two winning bids.
Carragher said: "This is just the beginning for Football For Change. Everyone involved is keen to help young people, who've not got the means, money or connections, to build better lives. Too many have seen opportunities taken away from them in recent years. We've got to level the playing field so they all have the same life chances."
Elsewhere in the auction, the chance to meet Trent Alexander-Arnold and receive a tour of the £50m AXA Training Centre in Kirkby brought in two winning bids of £10,000 while signed Liverpool, LA Galaxy, Rangers and Aston Villa shirts by Gerrard fetched £10,000 in total.
An access-all-areas VIP package to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that included a sit-down dinner with Formula One managing director Ross Brawn went for £10,000.
The final prize of the afternoon was a painting of Carragher and Gerrard with the Champions League trophy from their famous 2005 victory over AC Milan by artist Bryn Sutcliffe. It was eventually sold for £6,000 to bring the total for the day up to £106,000.
Football For Change was launched in 2020 by Carragher, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Coady and it has since been backed by Gerrard alongside a string of other high-profile football names including Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, Leeds United winger Jack Harrison and Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker and Carragher's Sky Sports colleague Gary Neville are also on board while music icon Sir Rod Stewart is a supporter having attended its inaugural gala launch event in Liverpool last November when £250,000 was raised at the Titanic Hotel.
Business leaders including Swinton Insurance CEO Ian Donaldson and the influential public relations executive Dan Hughes were also involved in the launch. The charitable initiative is aiming to lift young people from disadvantaged backgrounds out of poverty by providing life-changing opportunities in education and employment.
FFC will use the funds to distribute grants to organisations supporting young people, with a particular focus on supporting them into education, employment and training.
