• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 15, 2011

Fans of the critically acclaimed but ratings-challenged "Friday Night Lights" can own a piece of the show -- via an online auction coinciding with the final season airing on NBC, which started Friday.

NBC Universal's consumer products arm is engineering the auction for props and wardrobe items used on the show, starting April 19. New items at an NBCUAuctions.com will come up weekly through September as the final 13 episodes of the series unfold.

Other show items not used in filming, such as jerseys, will be sold on an NBC store Web site later this month.

Proceeds from both sale avenues will go to youth football programs, via NBCU's "Green is Universal" program.

The fifth season's 13 episodes have already aired on DirecTV. Some episodes from last season are available on NBC.com to try and drum up interest.

Auction items include the playbook used by the football coach in the show and his team's trophies.

"A worldwide platform and unparalleled access to items directly from the set of "Friday Night Lights," is how Mark Kaminky, of VIP Partnership Group, which is helping run the auction, describes it.

"Through the weekly NBCU auctions, fans will be able to bid on and purchase their favorite items ... using their computer, iPad, iTouch or mobile device," he stated.

"Friday Night Lights" likely would have been canceled in its early years except for a deal with DirecTV, which helped offset production costs. DirecTV received rights to air new episodes first on its exclusive content channel before they moved to NBC.