Champions League 'You Bet' - Week 1

It's time to welcome back an old favourite to SPAOTP. Last year, for those of you who weren't with us back then, we ran a series called 'You Bet' in which we asked you to help us raise money for charity. Well now it's back, back, back in a new improved state, designed to raise even more money for a fantastic good cause. We're so excited about it that we've even designed a new logo - that's how big a deal this is.

Yes, it's the exciting return of You Bet but this season we're covering the Champions League to add some sparkle and glamour to the proceedings. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the format, here's the way it works.

Each week from now until the Champions League Final next May, Smart and I will together place £1 on a Champions League bet as specified by you, our much-valued visitors.

Note the use of the word 'you' there. It's important because each week we'll be asking you to vote for which bet we choose out of three potential options. You need pay no money and your house is not at risk if we fail to win any money at the end of this. We're spending our money - all you need to do is tell us where to stick it, if you'll pardon the expression.

On the subject of money, Smart and I will start off by chipping in £5 each to make a total stake 'kitty' of £10. If all our first ten bets fail and we run out of cash, so be it. Mission failed. Frankly though, having had the experience of playing 'You Bet' last season, we don't think that'll happen. We expect to make lots of money for a good cause which this time around is something we hope you'll agree is very apt and very deserving of our fundraising activities.

Little League Football is a registered charity in the UK that aims to get kids up to the age of 13 playing football for free where the opportunity to do so is limited. Some kids only get to play for a team at school while others could join a local team were it not for the fact that their parents can't afford the fees to pay for training and so on. Little League Football aims to change that by involving the community and giving the less fortunate youngsters the chance to learn about the game and more importantly play it and enjoy it.

The thing is they're desperate to secure the funding required to expand the scheme and help more kids across the country. In order to help them out, therefore, you have three options: (1) Take part in our Champions League You Bet competition, (2) Sponsor them with a generous amount, or (3) Ignore all of the above. We hope you'll choose one of the first two options. :)

For more information about Little League Football, visit www.littleleaguefootball.com, but for now, kindly consider the following three options for this week's 'Champions League You Bet'...

Bet A
Arsenal v Sevilla
Three goals to be scored during the match
Potential winnings: £3.75

Bet B
Sporting Lisbon v Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo to score the first goal of the match
Potential winnings: £7.00

Bet C
Rangers v Stuttgart
Rangers to be leading at half time, the match to end as a draw
Potential winnings: £14.00

UPDATE...
Voting has now closed on this week's You Bet. With 56% of the vote, you've asked us to go for Bet A, so keep your fingers crossed that Arsenal and Sevilla can score three goals between them!
Thanks for all your votes and watch this space to find out how we got on...