Manchester indie rockers The Courteeners are set to headline the 2024 Legends of Football charity event, which will take place on October 7 at the iconic JW Marriott Grosvenor House. The band will be performing at the star-studded evening in honour of two football legends: Wayne Rooney and Fara Williams. The event, a staple in the football and charity calendar, raises funds for Nordoff and Robbins, the UK’s largest independent music therapy charity.
Legends of Football has become a beloved annual occasion, combining the celebration of footballing greatness with the power of music to make a difference. The charity has raised an impressive £8.5 million over its 25-year history. The funds help Nordoff and Robbins provide music therapy for individuals facing the challenges of illness, disability, and isolation, the organisation says.
“All money raised goes to Nordoff and Robbins whose treatment helps people with a variety of disorders including dementia, autism, cardiac conditions, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. Music therapy allows the patients an opportunity to communicate in ways they can’t otherwise, and can help with memory, lower blood pressure, reduce stress and improve self-esteem,” organisers say.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Iconic indie-rock band Courteeners will headline our 2024 #legends event on 7th October when it returns to @Grosvenor_House to celebrate the careers of @WayneRooney and @fara_williams47
We can’t wait for their performance at our star-studded event pic.twitter.com/WPPIoLutbe
— Legends of Football (@LoFootball) October 2, 2024
This year’s event will shine a light on Rooney and Williams, two standout names in English football. Rooney, of course, is a household name thanks to his glittering 13-year career at Manchester United, where he won five Premier League titles and became the club’s all-time top scorer. His achievements on the pitch have earned him a host of personal accolades, from Premier League Player of the Season to multiple PFA awards. Since retiring from playing, he’s also made a name for himself as a manager.
Fara Williams holds an equally impressive record, being the most capped player in the history of the England national team with 172 caps over an 18-year career. Williams started her career at Everton and later moved to Liverpool, winning back-to-back FA Women’s Super League titles in 2013 and 2014. She eventually signed for Arsenal, where she added an FA Cup to her trophy cabinet.
The Courteeners first hit the scene with their 2008 debut St. Jude, an album that earned them the Guardian’s First British Album Award. In 2023, a reissue of St. Jude hit No. 1 on the UK Album Charts, 15 years after its original release, and they were named Band of the Year at the Nordoff and Robbins Northern Music Awards that same year. Their track ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ has become something of a modern British anthem, with its unmistakable chorus securing its spot among the Top 100 British songs of all time.
