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A testimonial match is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club.
By tradition, clubs typically grant testimonials to players upon reaching 10 years of service with a club, although they sometimes are given to players with less service as they approach retirement. These matches are always non-competitive. Typically, former greats for the club are invited to participate, either in the match itself or the surrounding festivities. For especially prominent players, some all-time greats of the game may be invited, or the opposition can be a national team. Alternatively, if a player is strongly identified with more than one club team, the testimonial may involve the player's current and past clubs. All proceeds from the match go to the player.
The practice started in the days when players, even those at top professional clubs, were paid far less than they are today. Few players were able to live on their club wages, much less save for retirement. The testimonial was a charitable gesture by the club; as testimonials were typically very well-attended matches, the practice of giving the players the proceeds from the match often enabled the honorees either to retire or establish themselves in another line of work once they finished playing.
In recent years, testimonials have been less frequent, especially in the top levels of European professional football and other sports in which the top players are able to make enormous salaries, many times the average wage. Today's top-level player often have far less need for the money from a testimonial than players from the past would have. Also, because of changes in the structure of the professional game, players are far less likely to stay with one club for an extended period of time than in past decades. Finally, many fans are disinclined to come to testimonials for top professionals, since they are often perceived as giving a huge windfall to a player who most likely does not need the money.
TOMMY ALLISON
West Ham United v. Portsmouth
14th December 1907
TOM ROBINSON
West Ham United v. Queens Park Rangers
14th October 1912
TESTIMONIAL & BENEFITS
I've started to compile a list of ALL Testimonial and Benefit games played by the Hammers since the War.
I'm bound to have missed some, so any help would be welcome.
Please give me time ~ when I get down to 2007 you'll know I've finished
1950's
1950's TESTIMONIALS
18th September 1950
CHARLIE PAYNTER Testimonial - Arsenal (H) 3-1
23rd April 1951
WALLY PULLEN Benefit - Leyton Orient (A) 3-3
26th April 1954
GEORGE SADLER Benefit - Guildford City (A) 0-0
22nd October 1956
GEOFF HALLAS & BRIAN MOORE - All Star XI (H) 3-3
14th October 1957
DICK WALKER Testimonial - Sparta Rotterdam (H) 5-0
17th November 1958
MALCOLM ALLISON Testimonial - A Select All-Star XI (H) 7-6
CHARLES W. PAYNTER
West Ham United v. Arsenal
Team group image courtesy of Alan Jacobs
RICHARD (Dick) WALKER
West Ham United v. Sparta Rotterdam
GEORGE SADLER
Guildford City
WALLY PULLEN
Leyton Orient
Image courtesy of Alan Jacobs
MALCOLM ALLISON
West Ham United v. A Selected All Star XI
1960's
1960's TESTIMONIALS
10th October 1960
ERNIE GREGORY Testimonial - Liga Deportiva Alajeulense (H) 3-2
2nd May 1961
GEORGE BERRY Testimonial - Ipswich Town (A) 3-3
15th May 1963
HARRY THREADGOLD Testimonial - Southend United (A) 4-1
27th April 1964
JOHN LYALL Testimonial - All Star XI (H) 5-0
12th May 1964
TOMMY BYRNE & TOMMY FARRELL Testimonial - Shamrock Rovers (A) 3-1
4th November 1964
BOB MORTON Testimonial - Luton Town (A)
28th September 1965
KEN COOTE Testimonial - Brentford (A) 0-2
20th October 1965
JIMMY DICKINSON Testimonial - Portsmouth (A) 4-1
2nd May 1966
JIMMY SIRRELL Testimonial - Aldershot (A) 0-2
11th May 1966
JOHN BOND Testimonial - Ex-Hammers XI (H) 7-4
15th May 1967
KEN BROWN Testimonial - Select XI (H) 5-9
16th October 1967
BERNARD HALL Testimonial - Bristol XI (A) 4-3
24th October 1967
PRIESTLEY Testimonial - Ramsgate (A) 1-1
6th November 1967
DAVE CARR Benefit - Watford (A) 2-3
13th May 1968
GILL Testimonial - Guildford City (A)
20th May 1968
GEOFF COX Testimonial - Torquay United (A) 5-2
ERNIE GREGORY
West Ham United v. Liga Deportiva Alajeulense
