Ayre: Legends match is exciting for all

A team of ex-Reds managed by Ian Rush will take on the Spanish giants on June 14. It will be the first outing for the club's new side consisting of former players.

A line-up including the likes of Robbie Fowler, Luis Garcia, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, Steve McManaman, Vladimir Smicer and Harry Kewell will take to the field in an encounter that will be screened live on LFCTV HD.

Ayre was in Madrid on Thursday afternoon when the prestigious fixture was announced at a media briefing and afterwards, outlined his delight at the news in an exclusive interview with Liverpoolfc.com.

Watch the video here »

Ian, the club have announced the launch of the official LFC Legends side. A proud day for you?

Yes, absolutely. It's been a long time coming. We've always had legends playing in matches and putting charity opportunities together, but to have an organised structure to it and something those players were used to in the past is a great opportunity - and what a way to start it, here at Real Madrid.

Real Madrid at the Bernabeu...you're not easing the lads in gently, are you?

No, but there are such great parallels between these two fantastic clubs, particularly European history. I know when we played here in the Champions League earlier this year, everyone here was enthralled about the fact we were two great clubs from that competition. To bring some of the legends from both sides together and seeing them around here today is very exciting. They've done it here for quite a few years no and the crowds they've got have been amazing. Not only do we hope that it'll be a fantastic spectacle, but obviously as part of the deal we'll host them back at Anfield at some point and I think that'll be fantastic for Liverpool fans.

The money raised from the first game will go to the Real Madrid Foundation. How important is it for you that Liverpool Football Club support other clubs in this way?

I think it's great. There's a lot written about the money in football and what players get paid and all these types of things. I think it's fantastic when you see the football family come together and do fantastic things for people that need it. As everybody knows, we have our own foundation in Liverpool and recently had our own game where we had lots of players come back, and I think this is a kind of extension of that. Going forward, we hope to have lots of these types of opportunities and the more money it creates, the more good we can do. The foundation here in Madrid is fantastic and so is this particular project that it's serving, so we're absolutely delighted to be involved in it.

Some of the players we've spoke to, the likes of Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler, say they can't wait to put that shirt on again because you don't realise what it means until you stop playing. Why was it so important for the club to give the players that opportunity and give a nod to the history and the legends?

As I said before, it's been a long time coming but I think that was because I don't think there was the commitment to a regular, organised solution around this. Like Madrid, we have so many great ex-players and the team line-up we'll put together will show that. We talk to Robbie and Ian a lot because they're ambassadors for the club and in and around the business every day and you can tell they miss the camaraderie and being part of Liverpool Football Club. To create something that allows them to go back to that, to create something that's regular and organised, if you talk to any footballer that's what they're used to - routine and regularity. We've created that and the fact it does some good is fantastic.

An incredible list of players signed up already...I guess you didn't have to do too much work to get people involved?

No, that's the great thing. With this being the first one here at the Bernabeu, it was a pretty easy set of phone calls, I would imagine. We've always had fantastic support from our former players and they always want to be in, around and involved with the club. Seeing the Madrid line-up today makes it look like an interesting competition.

The game itself will be live on LFCTV, so for fans who can't get to the Bernabeu they'll get to see a real stellar line-up...

Yes, absolutely. If you look at that line-up and some of the players that are in there, and we know Liverpool fans love to look back across the rich history we've had, the opportunity to see some of the players who've graced the field [for Real] in the Champions League against Liverpool, that'll make it a huge event - and you can watch it on LFCTV.

The game will be broadcast live and exclusive in the UK and ROI on LFCTV. For more information on LFCTV please visit http://www.liverpoolfc.com/lfctv.

Tickets for the game are priced at €5, €10 and €15 and will be available to purchase from http://www.realmadrid.com/entradas.