A SPECIAL EUROPEAN ANNIVERSARY

TIGERS TALK

20 YEARS ON

This season marks a very special anniversary in club history.

It is widely acknowledged as the greatest day in the club’s history, and now 20 years on, there are plans to celebrate in the company of the men who made it happen. Back in May 2001, Leicester Tigers went to Paris and beat Stade Français in their own city to win the Heineken European Cup for the first time.

It is an odyssey which began with a run all the way to the final at the first attempt in 1997 before defeat by Brive and which featured its ups and downs before the amazing scenes in the French capital and, of course, the retention of the title of European champions with victory over Munster in Cardiff a year later.

TIGERS TALK

Now, as the 2020-21 season marks its 20th anniversary, Tigers past and present are coming together to mark the occasion and re-live the memories of that 34-30 victory over Stade Français at the Parc des Princes.

Following in the footsteps of recent landmarks including 125 years at Welford Road in 2017 and the 2,500th first-team fixture at the stadium in November 2020, Tigers are hosting a special evening in the company of some European rugby legends.

This exclusive event is being held in the Premiership Suite at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Wednesday, May 19 and tickets are available now.

Back in 2000-01, the route to the final featured pool-stage games against Pau, Glasgow Calendonians and Pontypridd before a convincing 41-10 home win over Swansea - before the days of Welsh regional rugby - in the quarter-final and then victory over Gloucester in an allEnglish semi-final.

The trip to Paris is memorable for many reasons - the huge travelling support visible throughout the city, the heat and the noise of the stadium, the tension of a nip-and-tuck game between two top-quality teams, the late break from Austin Healey, the finish from Leon Lloyd and the touchline conversion from a nerveless Tim Stimpson which prompted the celebrations.

As well as celebrating again on the anniversary in May, the club will be collecting fans’ memories from wherever they followed the action - in Paris, back in Leicester or from anywhere else in the world - to share on this special occasion.

The 2021 celebration event is hosted in partnership with Switch the Play Foundation, a charity co-founded by tryscoring hero Lloyd and the UK’s only charity dedicated to supporting sportspeople to successfully transition into life outside of sport.

The event includes a threecourse meal and refreshments, with tables of up to 10 available. Players from the 2000-01 squad and current Tigers will take part in Q&A sessions on stage and look back at footage from the successful European campaign.

Tickets are on sale now, priced at £120 + VAT with the opportunity to save £20 with the Early Bird booking offer (only 200 Early Bird places are available). Tables of 10 start from £950.

Book at https:// thesportingclub.co/events/ or see the Tigers website for more details. Supporters can also secure their individual places or tables with a 20 per cent deposit and then pay the rest at a later date, please contact tina@ thesportingclub.co.uk

Organised in partnership with The Sporting Club, if this event is postponed or cancelled for any Covid-19 restrictions, guests

will have the option to have their places credited across to the new date or can be refunded.

Leicester Tigers will also mark the anniversary throughout the 2020-21 season with exclusive interviews with club legends, archive match footage as well as the opportunity for supporters to share their memories.