The EFL has announced that its successful charity partnership with Prostate Cancer UK will continue until 2018 with a two year extension confirmed today.
The leading men’s health charity has been affiliated with the EFL since 2012, and Official Charity Partner of the EFL from the 2013/14 campaign, with the two organisations working together to raise vital awareness of a disease that affects one in eight men in the UK and raised over £2 million to date for vital research.
Throughout the four years working together, there have been a number of highlights, such as the EFL’s annual end of season cycling fundraiser, Football to Amsterdam, which last June took Prostate Cancer UK to new heights as a record-breaking field of 350 riders from EFL clubs raised over £500,000.
Earlier this year Jeff Stelling and former Hartlepool United Chief Executive Russ Green added a further £415,000 by visiting 32 clubs across the country on their epic Men United March, and this week Hartlepool United have pledged yet more support by unveiling the Prostate Cancer UK Stand at Victoria Park.
Since 2012 clubs across all three divisions of the Sky Bet EFL have hosted a range of imaginative events and over 230 Men United matchday collections have been held including at the EFL’s five annual Wembley finals. A host of EFL clubs have also gone the extra mile - Millwall and Scunthorpe United have both proudly had the Prostate Cancer UK logo emblazoned across their home and away shirts for a season, while for one night only on March 24, 2015, Luton Town hosted Wycombe Wanderers at the Prostate Cancer UK Stadium.
For the 2016/17 Sky Bet EFL season, the iconic Prostate Cancer UK ‘Man of Men’ logo will adorn new EFL shirt numbers and appear more than 60,000 times between the season’s start on Friday 5 August and its finale at the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final on 29 May. On touchlines up and down the land, EFL managers will continue to wear the Prostate Cancer UK pin badge to raise awareness of the disease.
Shaun Harvey, Chief Executive of the EFL said: “Following the inception of this charity partnership four years ago, fans across EFL clubs have shown a real sense of togetherness and have helped raise millions for the vital work Prostate Cancer UK does in our communities.
“We’re immensely proud of that work and delighted to be working alongside the Prostate Cancer UK team once again as we all continue to raise funds and much needed awareness in the ongoing fight to stop prostate cancer becoming a killer. And as part of our ongoing commitment to raising profile for the campaign, all of our players will continue to wear the now iconic Prostate Cancer UK logo on their shirts in every EFL fixture, a first for football when it was introduced two years ago.
“The events and activities that took place under the League banner throughout last season were nothing short of remarkable. Many hundreds of people deserve enormous credit for the extraordinary lengths they went to get involved. It made a real difference. Exciting plans are in place for the 2016/17 season and I have no doubt that the EFL, its clubs and fans will raise the bar once again.”
Prostate Cancer UK Chief Executive Angela Culhane said: “Over the past four years our relationship with the EFL has gone from strength to strength and we’re delighted to have extended our partnership with them for a further two seasons.
“One man every hour dies from prostate cancer; it’s the most common cancer in men, and football has proved to be an amazingly effective way of driving home our messages in a variety of ways to fans, players and club officials, many of whom had no idea about the dangers of the disease.”
“Ignoring prostate cancer will not beat it. But this partnership has helped to wake men up to the need to take action. Thanks to the money raised as a result, we can fund more ground-breaking research to fight back against the disease. It will also help us provide dedicated support and information to menand their families. United against prostate cancer, we can make it a disease the next generation of men need not fear.”
For information about Prostate Cancer UK’s work in football go toprostatecanceruk.org/football. And for details of the 2017 Football to Amsterdam ride go toprostatecanceruk.org/amsterdam