Celebrities take part in charity football match for testicular cancer
Talksport host and ex-Premiership footballer Jason Cundy is leading a star studded team of aspiring footballers in the inaugural charity five-a-side match at Wimbledon Goals on 9 April.
Jason – a testicular cancer survivor has launched the event to raise awareness of the testicular cancer campaign Keep Your Eye on the Ball during its Focus Fortnight awareness drive from 30 March – 12 April.
Among the celebrity players will be Status Quo legend, Rick Parfit, singer Paul Young, TV presenter Giles Vickers Jones and footballers XXX. Premier League referee, Peter Walton, will be on hand to keep players in line while Jason’s wife Lizzie Cundy will add a touch of glamour to the blokey event.
Keep Your Eye on the Ball was founded by the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign, the Professional Footballers Association and The Football Association in 2000 in response to several high profile players being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Everyman patron Jason Cundy says.
“Not only is it a good opportunity to get some of the lads together for a kick about, but it’s also raising awareness of such a great cause. I’m forever hearing ex-players discuss past glories or celebrity guests talking up their game, so this is an ideal opportunity for them to live up to their hype,” he said.
Jason aims to raise £5,000 this year and can be sponsored via his Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/jasoncundy.
Keep Your Eye on the Ball’s Focus Fortnight kicked off with a quirky commercial featuring former England legend Teddy Sheringham keeping an eye on his balls. The advert is being shown at various Premiership and Football League grounds around the UK and can be seen on www.keepyoureyeontheball.org.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 44 with more than 2,000 cases in the UK every year.
All money raised for the campaign goes towards funding research into testicular and prostate cancer at The Everyman Centre - Europe's first and only centre dedicated to male cancer research and part of The Institute of Cancer Research.
Football fans can find out how to get involved by visiting www.keepyoureyeontheball.org.
Media contact: Tatjana Trposka 020 7153 5312, 077806 89891 or email: Tatjana.Trposka@icr.ac.uk.
Notes to Editor
Keep Your Eye On The Ball was set-up by The FA, PFA and Everyman in 2000 in response to several high profile players being diagnosed with testicular cancer. The aim is to raise awareness of testicular and prostate cancer within the football community and raise funds for research at The Everyman Centre - Europe's first and only centre dedicated to male cancer research and part of The Institute of Cancer Research. Everyman is the UK’s leading male cancer campaign.
Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in men aged between 15 and 44, with about 2,000 cases a year in the UK. Incidence is increasing dramatically – by almost four-fold in the last 50 years, but thanks to advances made at Everyman, testicular cancer is 99 per cent curable if caught early, and with treatment the overall cure rate is 97 per cent.
Prostate cancer has overtaken lung cancer to become the most common cancer in men affecting more than 35,000 every year in the UK. One man dies of prostate cancer in the UK every hour.