James Bay has been announced as the headliner of 2022’s Legends of Football as it returns to Grosvenor House to celebrate England Manager Gareth Southgate OBE. Legends of football is an annual event that celebrates the achievements and careers of some of the greatest footballers and managers in the sport, and has raised £8.5 million for music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins in it’s 20 years of running. You can click here for more information about the event.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The one and only @JamesBayMusic is headlining @LoFootball this year and we can’t contain our excitement!
Don’t Let It Go and secure your table now!https://t.co/WVkBufHWZfpic.twitter.com/aTRXbpEyZc
— Legends of Football (@LoFootball) July 20, 2022
Nordoff Robbins use music therapists to help some of the most vulnerable and isolated people in our society, working with adults and young people suffering with life-limiting illness such as dementia, mental health issues and learning disabilities including autism and physical disability. Nordoff Robbins began back in 1958 and is the UK’s largest music therapy charity. It was first developed through the 17 year long collaboration of American musician Paul Nordoff and British musician Clive Robbins, who sought to devise a therapy for children with disabilities. The therapy involved immersing patients in music by both listening and learning how to play, and was grounded in the belief that everyone can respond to music no matter how ill or disabled they are. Click here for more information about the charity.
This year, the Brit award winning and Grammy nominated singer-songwriter James Bay will be headlining the event as Gareth Southgate is inducted into the Legends Of Football Hall Of Fame. James Bay recently secured a No.4 album in the UK’s Official Charts for his third record Leap, overtaking Paolo Nutini’s Last Night In The Bittersweet to grab the spot. He is one of Britain’s most successful international exports of the last decade, with his early single “Hold Back The River” going platinum in the United States and 3 times platinum here in the UK.
Speaking about headlining the event, Bay said: “I’m honoured to be headlining Legends of Football 2022. I have always been a huge football fan, Alan Shearer was my hero at the age of six and I’ve been an avid Newcastle supporter ever since, so it’s wonderful to be involved with Legends of Football this year to celebrate Gareth’s stellar career as a player and manager whilst supporting a brilliant charity like Nordoff Robbins.”
It’s likely that football is going to be on the minds of many at the moment, with England’s lionesses beating Spain last night in the 2022 women’s Euro’s tournament, and the World Cup fast approaching. So let’s hope there can be many more collaborations between music and football moving forward to help those in need.
