UK EFDN member clubs raise awareness for cancer

UK EFDN member clubs raise awareness for cancer

In April three EFDN members from the UK started different initiatives to support actions against cancer. While the Saints Foundation and the Chelsea Foundation participated in the Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, the Celtic FC Foundation announced that there will be a charity match in Celtic Park. 

Saints Foundation 

The Saints Foundation encourages their members and fans to participate in the ‘Football Shirt Friday’ on 27th of April in aid of the Bobby Moore Fund. Together with Cancer Research UK, the Bobby Moore Fund raises money for research on bowel cancer.

Bobby Moore made 108 appearances in the English national team. He won the 1966 World Cup with the ‘Three Lions’ and was cited by the Brazilian legend Pelé as the greatest defender that he had ever played against. Unfortunately, Moore died already in 1991 because of bowel and liver cancer at the age of 51. Since six years football fans in the whole world wear on one Friday in April football shirts to work, school or in their local community and donate money to the Fund. The Saints Foundation made a call on their website and social media channels to take part in the action. As in previous years, the staff of the Saints Foundation will follow the appeal of Bobby Moore’s widow.

Stephanie Moore said: “We want to see the whole nation supporting Football Shirt Friday, by proudly wearing their team’s colours and joining together in the fight against bowel cancer. It’s 25 years since Bobby died and in that time mortality rates for bowel cancer have fallen by more than 30 per cent, but sadly it still kills 44 people in the UK every day. By uniting with friends and colleagues to fundraise for the Bobby Moore Fund, we can make even more progress and bring forward the day when bowel cancer is cured.”

The participation in the ‘Football Shirt Friday’ fits to the philosophy of the Saints Foundation. In addition to projects on health and wellbeing the club that is based in Southampton delivers targeted programmes across five more key themes: Employability & Learning, Schools & Community, Saints4All (accessible sport), Education and Football & Sports Development.

Chelsea Foundation 

The Chelsea-players Gary Cahill and Willian backed the eighth annual ‘Know the Score’ campaign to mark Bowel Cancer Awareness Month throughout April. The Blues duo joined the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) in supporting the ‘Know the Score’ campaign alongside other players, managers and clubs.

The PFA has come together with leading bowel cancer charities and the League Managers Association to back the campaign, with members of both organisations wearing the international symbol for bowel cancer, ‘Star of Hope’ badges, while t-shirts and twitter boards will also be used to promote the campaign.

As one of the world’s leading football social responsibility programmes the Chelsea Foundation uses the power of sport to motivate, educate and inspire. Chelsea FC Foundation believes that the power of football can be harnessed to support communities and individuals both at home and abroad.

Celtic FC Foundation

Later this year, Celtic FC Foundation will host a charity game – A Match for Cancer – which will see the return of a host of familiar figures to Paradise, together with a number of new faces to grace the hallowed turf – all with the intention of raising money to fight cancer.

A Match for Cancer will take place at Celtic Park on Saturday, September 8 with a 2pm KO and it promises to be a special day in Paradise. Every penny raised will be devoted to tackling cancer through three equal beneficiary charities – Celtic FC Foundation, the Stiliyan Petrov Foundation and the James Milner Foundation. The match will see Celtic legend, Stiliyan Petrov and Liverpool midfielder, James Milner pull together opposing squads and a number of former players are already lined up including Henrik Larsson, Lubo Moravcik, Hristo Stoichkov, Steven Gerrard and Luis Garcia.

Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive, Tony Hamilton, emphasises: “According to Cancer Research UK, one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. It’s a horrendous statistic and we feel very strongly about trying to have a positive impact on those suffering from cancer and their families, through this match. The cause perfectly aligns with the charitable essence of our football club and I have every faith that our supporters will get behind the match in great numbers, as they always do.”

Besides supporting the charity match, the Celtic FC Foundation’s work encompasses a diverse variety of groups in 30 live projects, with their work promoting employability, health and wellbeing, diversionary activities and disability sport initiatives.

Stiliyan Petrov and James Milner