WORLD CUP PLAY TRANSFERS TO
NEWCASTLE’S THEATRE ROYAL

 Tuesday 11 - Saturday 15 May 2010

Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather, a play about the West Auckland football team who won the first world cup in 1909, is to transfer to Newcastle Theatre Royal in May – in the build up to the 2010 World Cup.

The show, written by Tyneside-based playwrights Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood, celebrates the greatest football story ever told and relates how a team of miners from West Auckland in County Durham were invited to compete in the Lipton Trophy in Italy against the top teams from Germany, Switzerland and Italy, who were all professional

“West” beat German champions Stuttgart Sportfreunde 2-0 in the semi-finals before seeing off the Swiss champs FC Winterthur 2-0 in the final.

The lads also returned in 1911 and won the cup outright after hammering the mighty Juventus 6-1.
 
The play, which was commissioned by Durham Gala theatre manager Simon Stallworthy to mark the centenary of the 1909 achievement, premiered at the Gala in April (2009)  and was a huge success. Around 4,500 people attended and by the end of the 10-show run, it was playing to full houses at the 500-seat venue.

Ed and Trevor have also had their plays Dirty Dusting and Waiting For Gateaux performed at the Theatre Royal to sell-out crowds and they are expecting the same excellent response their other two plays have garnered.

Trevor said: “We are absolutely delighted. This is a brilliant story about the lads and their families who sacrificed so much to get to Italy. They had to pawn their valuables and didn’t even know whether they had jobs to return to.”

West Auckland were a team of Durham miners playing in the Northern League when they were invited by the Glasgow-born tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton to participate in the inaugural world cup in Turin, Italy.

West subsequently kept the cup but it was stolen in 1994 and a replica today takes its place in the West Auckland Working Men’s Club. People come from all over the world to pay respect to the achievement of these battling miners.

ALF RAMSEY KNEW MY GRANDFATHER
DURHAM, GALA THEATRE, APRIL 16 TO 25, 2009

“I adored this production… a glorious two hours of comedic genius. If there is any justice it will soon be playing to packed auditoriums up and down the country.” Newcastle Evening Chronicle

“Studded with working-class humour, high-brow wit and thought-provoking dialogue” Sunderland Echo

“Very funny, a brilliant, ball-busting occasion -  it may be easier to get a ticket for the cup final but if you can, go quickly” Northern Echo

“Hilarious, but it’s the engaging characters which make it such a success” The Journal

“A real triumph which perfectly brings back to life a forgotten episode and pitches it back into the 21st century floodlights. It’s very very funny as well.” www.fansonline.net

“A great night’s entertainment …bringing the theatre to a young, male audience who might otherwise be out of reach” – Durham Times

“I would definitely recommend this to everyone. A brilliant play and really funny” – Fly Me to the Moon (Middlesbrough fanzine)