Like Russian billionaires, US sporting tycoons and rich Iranian businessmen Richard Light knows the commercial potential of "the beautiful game".

The 40-year-old has launched a website called Football- Bananas.Com selling a range of memorabilia, from signed shirts to old Wembley stadium seats.

Richard, of Bramber Avenue North, Peacehaven, has collected football memorabilia from an early age and always found it difficult to get hold of genuine items.

He realised the only way to make sure he was buying authentic goods was to attend official signing events, usually organised by the players' agents.

Over time he got to know people in the industry and in June this year decided he had enough stock - and enough know-how - to start trading himself.

He said: "Memorabilia a huge business but very difficult to find genuine people.

"It breaks your heart when you see people bidding on Ebay for stuff - supposedly signed by David Beckham or whoever - which is obviously fake.

"I have had stuff myself where you can tell someone has just scribbled something on themselves so I wanted to create a site for genuine buyers and sellers."

Through contacts in the industry, Tottenham Hotspur fan and father-of-two, Richard has built up some highly sellable items.

He recently attended a World Cup winners dinner where he got the stars of 1966 to sign shirts and photographs.

But he will not be selling it all just yet.

Memorabilia is as much a long-term as a short-term investment and deciding which pieces to sell and which to put in safe-keeping is one of the skills.

He said: "When people die the value of their signature goes up.

"Items signed by George Best went up from £100 to £300 following his death.

"I have got a football shirt signed by nine of the 1966 world cup winners. Obviously I am going to put that one away for a long-term investment."

In the future, Richard hopes to start hosting memorabilia auctions at football clubs and, if the online business really takes off, open a shop in Sussex.