George Best £5 note to be released

Press Release

The commemorative bank note, celebrating one of Northern Ireland's and the world's best known sporting personalities, will feature images of George Best in both his Northern Ireland and Manchester United strips. The unique five-pound notes will be made available for fans through Ulster Bank branches across Northern Ireland and by mail order for fans in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and further afield.
Ulster Bank Group CEO, Cormac McCarthy, was joined by members of the Best family and representatives of the George Best Foundation, Dickie Best and Barbara McNarry, to unveil the finalised artwork for the bank note.
Speaking at the unveiling, Cormac McCarthy, Ulster Bank Group CEO said,
"At the outset of this project we wanted to ensure that, in celebrating the life of this legendary footballer, we paid fitting tribute to his contribution to football in Northern Ireland and beyond. We wanted to make it possible for fans throughout Northern Ireland and further afield to own their very own piece of unique George Best memorabilia. By selecting the most affordable note denomination, five-pounds, we have tried to make the notes as widely accessible as possible."
He added, "As one of the leading banks in Northern Ireland we feel that we are in a unique position to commemorate a sportsman whose achievements are recognised by many of our customers. This is the first time that Ulster Bank has commissioned a commemorative bank note and by limiting the print run to a million notes this makes the initiative even more significant."
In keeping with Ulster Bank Group's ongoing community investment programme a donation is also being made to the George Best Foundation to support the promotion of cross-community contact through participation in football.
Commenting on the launch of the note, Barbara McNarry, George Best's sister and company secretary of the George Best Foundation said, "When Ulster Bank approached us with the idea of creating a commemorative bank note we had no hesitation in supporting the project. The unique tribute to George and the fact that so many people will be able to "own" this special memento is a welcome and fitting accolade at this particularly poignant time." She added, "We also welcome the ongoing support and generous donation from Ulster Bank Group to the work undertaken by the Foundation in the promotion of healthy living through participation in sport."
The five-pound George Best notes will be available from mid-November coinciding with the first anniversary of his death.