Back the Road to Wembley Campaign

Former England striker Les Ferdinand today urged United supporters to show their support for their team to raise vital funds for Prostate Cancer UK this season. 

Ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace striker Mark Bright is also calling on fans to get behind the initiative. The Road to Wembley gives supporters the chance of winning a pair of VIP tickets to the play-off finals in May whilst raising funds to help more men survive prostate cancer and enjoy a better quality of life. The VIP experience will include a pre-game, behind-the-scenes tour of Wembley stadium. There are 15 pairs of tickets up for grabs for the npower Football League Championship, npower Football League 1 and npower Football League 2 Play-Offs.

To enter the competition all fans need to do is send a text message with the name of their club. The competition is part of the charity’s partnership with The Football League for the 2012/2013 season. 

Les, who lost his grandfather to prostate cancer, is an ambassador of Prostate Cancer UK and its partnership with The Football League. He is committed to raising awareness of the disease, which African-Caribbean men are three times more likely to develop than white men of the same age. Les was also a staunch supporter of Prostate Cancer UK’s campaign to get breakthrough drug abiraterone widely approved on the NHS. 

He said: “Having lost my granddad to this disease, I am keen to add my voice to the movement fighting it. Men are getting more health conscious, but there is still plenty of room for more awareness about prostate cancer, which kills a staggering one man every hour.

“I would urge every Oxford fan across the country to enter the competition to show their support for their team, for a chance of winning a VIP experience and to help raise funds to fight the most common cancer in men. The more people who back their team, the more money will be raised to help Prostate Cancer UK support men with the disease, provide vital information and find answers by funding research into causes and treatments.”

Football pundit, Mark Bright, added: “This is a really quick and easy way to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK whilst getting behind your team. At this time in the season there’s everything to play for, and with 1 in 9 men being diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, ‘The Road to Wembley’ is one way fans can make a real difference.”

Mark Bishop, Director of Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Over 40,000 men, like Les’ granddad, are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. It’s the most common cancer in men and is estimated to be the most common cancer overall by 2030. There is an urgent need for Prostate Cancer UK to continue growing its support services to help men affected by the disease. The Road to Wembley competition is a simple way Oxford fans can raise vital funds to ensure we can do just that.”

To take part in ‘The Road to Wembley’ simply text ‘FL followed by the name of your favourite Football League team’ to 82772. The cost of entry is £3 plus standard network charges. At least half of the £3 fee will be donated to Prostate Cancer UK. Participants can only win if their team is one of the six Football League Clubs reaching the Football League Play Off Finals at Wembley stadium (i.e. 2 clubs from npower Championship, 2 from npower Division 1, 2 from npower Division 2).

Visit prostatecanceruk.org/football for more information, and for terms and conditions for ‘The Road to Wembley’

@ProstateUK #roadtowembley