A SPECIAL EUROPEAN ANNIVERSARY

CLUB NEWS EXTRA

Moment to savour

“The best game I have ever been involved in,” is how Austin Healey describes the 2001 Heineken Cup Final.

Players, fans and club officials alike, everyone has their own vivid memories of that incredible day in Paris when Tigers took on Stade Francais in their own backyard and came through to victory to lift the Heineken Cup as champions of Europe.

This is the 20th anniversary season of that win and a special dinner marking the Tigers’ first European title is being hosted at Mattioli Woods Welford Road to honour the occasion and those involved in it.

Originally scheduled for May, the event has now been moved to Friday, June 25 to allow guests to attend in line with the government’s four-step roadmap out of Covid-19 and tickets are available to book now.

“Speak to guys like Martin Johnson and Neil Back, and they’ll say it is the second-most important game they ever played in and they’ve been to a World Cup Final,” says Healey who made the decisive break to set up Leon Lloyd’s second try of the afternoon in the Parc des Princes.

“That gives you a feeling of the magnitude of the event.”

Along with the emotion and the on-field action, the level of support is a major memory for anyone involved in Paris.

Austin says: “The culmination of a hot, sunny day in Paris in front of thousands and thousands of Leicester Tigers fans is a memory that will last for the rest of our lives.”

Players past and present will be involved in bringing those memories back to life at the anniversary dinner, featuring a three-course meal and, of course, a chat with the stars.

The event is hosted in partnership with Switch the Play Foundation, a charity founded by Heineken Cup hero Leon Lloyd and dedicated to supporting all sportspeople to successfully transition into life outside of sport.

Tickets are available now. See the Tigers website for details.