WORLD CANCER DAY
Today is World Cancer Day and we’d like to take this opportunity to celebrate and thank the football community who have done so much to support our work since Sir Bobby launched our Foundation in 2008.
It is a beautiful thing for a sport with such passionate club loyalties to be united by a common purpose, in this case the desire to help find more effective ways to detect and treat a disease that affects too many of us.
In Sir Bobby’s own words: “Cancer takes no account of colour – black and white or red and white, orange or purple, young or old, male or female, weak or strong, we’re all the same.”
Most recently, we’ve seen support from across every area of the game – fans, players, clubs, ground staff, media, commentators and more – all backing the Cancer Deadline Day fundraising campaign.
More than 50 football clubs from the Premier League, WSL, Scottish Premier League, English Football League and non-league signed up in support of the campaign, including high-profile football supporters Sir Rod Stewart and The Who, and former England strikers Michael Owen, Jermain Defoe and our Patron, Alan Shearer.
We’re very proud to be part of the Cancer Deadline Day team effort, one of eight charities who will benefit from the funds raised.
Running alongside football’s transfer window, Cancer Deadline Day encouraged supporters to donate and ‘compete’ with fans of other clubs on a giving ‘league table.’
Our thanks to everyone who supported the campaign or who donated to it, helping raise much-needed funds for the eight charities, who have all been all impacted by the current pandemic.
Through Cancer Deadline Day, more than £28,000 has been raised for our Foundation, Breast Cancer Now, CLIC Sargent, Macmillan Cancer Support, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer UK, The Ruth Strauss Foundation and Teenage Cancer Trust.
And our congratulations to Millwall FC, winners of the giving ‘league table,’ after fans clubbed together to raise more than £10,000.
Millwall’s fans and players responded brilliantly to the fundraising campaign, including 84-year-old Millwall supporter, Charlie Harris, who has terminal cancer.
Charlie very generously donated £400 on behalf of Millwall and said: “As a lifetime supporter of Millwall, starting in the 50s, I give this donation in the hope that a cure will be found one day.”
The club’s CEO, Steve Kavanagh, said: “It is immensely impressive, though not remotely surprising, that the Millwall family has yet again come together and excelled itself with this important fundraising initiative.
“Cancer is an illness which has impacted so many in society and, speaking as someone who has lost both parents to the disease, it makes me so incredibly proud to work at this wonderful football club which continues to go above and beyond when duty calls.”
Many of Millwall’s players also donated to the cause, helping the Lions to finish clear of Championship rivals Brentford in the giving table. Arsenal were the top Premier League club, with Arsenal Ladies the best of the WSL and Partick Thistle the best in Scotland.
Although the Cancer Deadline Day giving table closed when the transfer window shut in England at 11pm on transfer deadline day, fans are still able to make a donation by visiting www.cancerdeadlineday.org. Donations can be made until the end of today (Thursday 4th February), World Cancer Day.
Our thanks again to everyone who supported the campaign.
