Brighton and Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton has joined forces with a host of top football managers to give the most vital team talks of their careers after chilling statistics showed prostate cancer kills one man every 45 minutes.
Premier League bosses Hughton, Sean Dyche (Burnley), Mark Hughes (Stoke City), Slaven Bilic (West Ham United) and Craig Shakespeare (Leicester City) have teamed up with their counterparts from the English Football League (EFL), League Manager’s Association (LMA) and Prostate Cancer UK.
Together they are condemning the deadly disease in a series of passionate – and life-saving – messages as part of a high-profile campaign to tackle the most common cancer in men.
Shocking figures show that two men will die during the length of a football match, reinforcing the need to take action now against the disease.
As well as speaking out about the issue, football managers, many of whom have been directly affected by the disease, will be wearing Prostate Cancer UK’s iconic “Man of Men” pin badge on the touchline during the 2017-18 campaign as the leading men’s charity cranks up the serious message.
Hughton said: “Prostate cancer is an opposition like no other. Just seeing stats like one man dies every 45 minutes shows why we all have to take action to change this.
“This disease does not discriminate. One in eight men will suffer from prostate cancer in the UK in their lifetime and that stat is one in four if you are a black man.
“Brighton have always embraced their community and that football family can come together to nail their colours to the mast in this fight.
“By wearing a Prostate Cancer UK ‘Man of Men’ badge – like me – or taking part in one of the charity’s wealth of fundraising events you can change the game for men and support Prostate Cancer UK’s mission to stop prostate cancer being a killer.”
Hughton is among more than 25 managers to pledge his support across the football landscape, while Dyche and Championship duo Simon Grayson (Sunderland) and Dean Smith (Brentford) have personal connections with the disease.
Former Clarets chairman Barry Kilby continues to fight back against the disease and Dyche has recorded an exclusive team talk, urging men to take stock of the situation and be aware of the dangers of the disease.
Grayson, who lost his best friend Steve Garbett to prostate cancer in September 2014 and has helped raise more than £100,000 for the charity, led the charge.
Smith has also praised the work of the charity as the club’s popular pitch announcer Peter ‘Mr Brentford’ Gilham battles the disease. Smith’s close friend Errol McKellar has successfully beaten prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer UK is the long-term charity partner of the EFL and a partner of the LMA, allowing the charity access to football clubs, managers, players and supporters.
Its Football to Amsterdam bike ride, supported by the EFL, has raised more than £1.7 million in the past five years, while Millwall and Scunthorpe United have both sported the Prostate Cancer UK logo on their kits.
What’s more, since the 2014-15 campaign, Prostate Cancer UK’s distinctive “Man of Men” symbol has been included on every single player’s kit as part of his individual squad number – the first time ever that a charity’s logo has been included by a domestic league on every player’s strip. Within each and every number will be the charity’s iconic logo, symbolising everyone who wants to stop prostate cancer becoming a killer.
