The soccer match itself took place on the 25th of September in front of a capacity crowd at Páirc Uí Chaoimh where a Manchester United legends side defeated a combination of Republic of Ireland and Celtic legends on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
The event was organised in memory of the Late Liam Miller, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
Led by Chairman Michael O’Flynn, members of the event’s organising committee made the announcement today at a briefing in the Lord Mayor’s office, City Hall, Cork.
“The organisers would like to sincerely thank all who supported the event and made it such a memorable occasion,” O’Flynn said in a statement.
“Sincere thanks also to all of Liam Miller’s former team mates from the Republic of Ireland, Manchester United, Celtic and Cork City football teams who came to Páirc Uí Chaoimh and paid such a wonderful tribute to Liam Miller on the field of play.
“Very special thanks go to the managers of the two sides on the day, Martin O’Neill, who led the Republic of Ireland/Celtic squad, and Roy Keane, who was also a member of the organising committee and performed the role of player/manager of the Manchester United squad on the day.
“Special thanks also to Celtic player Scott Brown’s testimonial committee who made a significant donation to the fund.
“This was such a wonderful occasion for the people of Cork and sports fans throughout Ireland who attended an event that brought some very famous footballing stars to Cork.
“It was indeed both celebratory and poignant, saluting the achievements of one of Cork’s sporting heroes who sadly lost his battle with cancer earlier this year.
“We are so grateful to everyone who supported the event by buying tickets or attending the dinner in City Hall, your support was truly phenomenal.
“We are delighted to have achieved this level of fundraising and are pleased to donate funds to the various charities as a result.
“We would like to acknowledge everyone who helped bring the game about including John Delaney and the FAI, Sir Alex Ferguson, John O’Shea, John Caulfield, Cork City FC, as well as the GAA and Cork County Board for accommodating the game at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
“The Miller family are humbled by the events and the outpouring of support from the people of this country, and supporters from further afield.”
O’Flynn fielded numerous questions following the announcement and admitted the decision to switch the match from Turner’s Cross to Páirc Uí Chaoimh helped the event raise more funds than anticipated.
“This trust will set up the family for a long, long time,” he added.
“The event that turned out to be was so different to what we had planned even though we had quite an event planned at Turner’s Cross and city hall.
“I felt once it transferred we were looking at getting one million plus but one and a half, I would hardly have believed it the day we got the transfer that we could achieve a figure of one and a half million.
“It’s one of the biggest charity events seen in this part of the world anyways so it was beyond our expectations and we responded to that accordingly.”
Liam’s wife Clare spoke on behalf of the Miller family and said “We feel truly blessed and grateful. We would like to thank everyone involved from the bottom of our hearts. The love and support you have shown will always be remembered and treasured by us.”
Roy Keane was unable to attend the announcement but he sent on his sentiments saying “Everyone involved in the game is delighted with the amount raised, which will benefit so many people. The response from the public towards the Miller family is truly amazing.”
The costs of the event were close to 180,000 euro but the overall funds raised will be distributed as follows:
€1m has been put into a Trust for Liam Miller’s family for the purpose of providing for their long-term financial security. The four Trustees are Michael O’Flynn; Roy Keane; Graham Barrett, and Ciaran Medlar.
€250k will be donated to Marymount Hospice, Cork, where Liam received end of life care
€100k will be donated to The Jack O’Driscoll Fund
*Jack O’Driscoll is a young man from Mayfield in Cork who was left paralysed following a freak accident during Storm Emma earlier this year. Jack was involved in Hurling and Football with Mayfield GAA club in Cork City and also St. Mary's A.F.C in Cork.
€35k will be donated to Mercy University Hospital Foundation
€35k will be donated to the Oesophageal Cancer Fund
€20k each will be donated to Enable Ireland, Cork Simon Community, Cork Penny Dinners and Down Syndrome Cork.
The full membership of the Liam Miller Tribute Match organising committee is as follows:
Michael O’Flynn (Chairman), Annamarie Fegan, Graham Barrett, Eanna Buckley, John Caulfield, John Delaney, Dermot Desmond, Patrick Doyle, Ted Foley, John Giles, Ger Gilroy, Colin Healy, Conor Healy, Roy Keane, John Kelleher, Robbie Kelleher, Kevin Kilbane, Tony Leen, Pat Lyons, John McHenry, Eamon McLoughlin, Willie McStay, Ciaran Medlar, Maria Mulcahy, Denis O’Brien, Damien O’Donohoe, Sean O’Driscoll, Kate O’Flynn, Martin O’Neill, Feargal O’Rourke and John O’Shea.