Football man has the write stuff

By Bill Wilson BBC News Online, Newcastle

Bill with signed pics including Best, McCartney, Beckham and Elton

For more than 40 years Bill Godward has tracked down the biggest names in sport, movies and literature armed with his pen and paper.

During that time the 67-year-old has notched up the biggest scalps for his autograph collection, including Elvis Presley, Sir Winston Churchill, Paul McCartney, Muhammad Ali, and Neil Armstrong.

Madonna and JK Rowling have signed for him, and footballers among his collection include Jackie Milburn, Len Shackleton, and the England 1966 World Cup team, plus dozens of other Newcastle, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough players.

Now, after four decades, he has decided to part with the thousands of precious signatures he has acquired; all to raise money for the women's football team he founded with his wife Pauline in 1991.

He has opened a shop in Newcastle city centre to sell off his collection with the aim of providing the financial clout for Chester-le-Street Town Ladies team in County Durham to compete with Newcastle United, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough.

It has been a real labour of love, and I have enjoyed every minute of putting the collection together. Bill Godward

His shop Signed Collectables Autographs is at the top of four cramped flights of stairs in Shakespeare Street, and is an Aladdin's cave of memorabilia.

On the walls are framed signed photographs of celebrities and sports stars, as well as autographed football shirts, boots and balls.

Elvis is there, and Paul McCartney, John Wayne, Michael Schumacher, Alan Shearer, JK Rowling, Bobby Moore, Eusebio, and Pele.

Moon landing

He told BBC News Online: "I first began collecting when my daughter Anne was ill as a child and I said I would get a pop star to autograph a record for her.

"From there we then spent three years collecting autographs of stars from film, and stage, together. When she lost interest I carried on, and have not stopped since.

"At first I concentrated on stage, film and music stars. I wrote to Elvis when he was playing in Las Vegas, I sent a letter to the venue and received a signed photo back from Elvis.

Jack Charlton signs autographs at the shop's opening

"I met Pele when we took a ladies team to America in 1994, he was a gentleman.

"I met Muhammad Ali a few years ago when he was already having problems with Parkinson's Disease, but my personal favourite is meeting Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.

"I met him in Birmingham in 1969, not long after he had landed on the moon, and there were security people everywhere around him. I accompanied the BBC team that went to interview and managed to get his autograph.

"I collected the majority of the autographs personally. I used to work for the BBC and got to know where people were going to be or where they are staying."

He is one of only a few people to own a photograph of Neil Armstrong on the moon signed by the three men of Apollo 11 - Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.

One of the most unusual items is an American flag signed by Paul Tibbets, the captain of Enola Gay aircraft which dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945.

Signed letter

He said: "There has been a real upsurge in interest in autographs in the last few years.

"As we more into a text and email age, people are looking to collect items like signed photos and letters.

"Autographs are a bit of the history related to a famous person, even more so if it is a signed letter that relates to sporting or social history, such as one signed by Churchill.

"In the North East the main market is for footballers' autographs, and stars of film, TV and stage.

There are signed boots as well as photographs

"Also, the top price items would not sell in the region, so I have tailored the stock in the shop accordingly."

He said that autographs which were currently in high demand were George Best and David Beckham, while Bobby Moore's was rising in price.

The holy grail for collectors is Fidel Castro, with other top-notch desirables being Greta Garbo, Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, Dickens, Hitler and Rommel.

Now Bill is moving from collector to dealer as he attempts to raise money for the football team.

He said: "It has been a real labour of love, and I have enjoyed every minute of putting the collection together. Not only have I acquired my collection but I have met many famous people.

"I now enjoy passing on advice to young people who are just starting their collections.

"My advice would be to always try and buy the most expensive single item you can afford rather then dividing your funds among many items."