Arsenal Women’s Katie McCabe has donated a pair of her boots to the Boot the Virus campaign.

The boots are match-worn and signed by the Republic of Ireland star and are being auctioned off to raise funds for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.

Manchester United’s Katie Zelem has also donated to the Boot the Virus campaign, as well as some of the top Premier League stars including Manchester City’s David Silva.

Lifelong Preston North End supporter Kenny Marland and his partner Joanne Dalton have created the campaign to unite the football community across the UK in a bid to raise funds for the NHS.

All of the donated boots will be auctioned off with all funds going to NHS Charities. The auction went live on Friday May 1 and to get your hands on a pair you will need to create an account in order to place a bid, and you can do that now by heading to www.bootthevirus.com.

Speaking about his idea to launch the campaign, Marland said: “I was pondering how I could combine my passion for football and help out, then the idea of Boot the Virus came to me in a chat with Joanne.

“I then put the idea into the notes section on my phone and sent a copy to Tom Clarke to see his thoughts. Tom said it was a good idea and that he would back the campaign.

“That then gave us the confidence and belief to give it a go! So, we are asking professional footballers from all the leagues in England to donate a pair of their signed matchday boots.

“I know times are difficult right now, but the plan is for all donated items to go to an online auction via our website, giving fans the opportunity to own a piece of sporting memorabilia with 100 per cent of the monies raised going directly to the NHS.

“It helps the heroes in the NHS and brings some joy to football fans by owning such an item.

“We have also included a section of the website for retired professionals who can also help us Boot the Virus if they want to donate any signed items.”

So far, the Boot the Virus campaign has raised £25,692 for the NHS.