Hammersmith & Fulham crowned national champions of male cancer cup
21 December 2009
At Birmingham’s, Star City on Sunday 20th December, a team from Hammersmith & Fulham won £1000 in prize money and were crowned the first ever winners of the Keep Your Eye on the Ball Charity Cup, a nationwide 5-a-side football tournament raising money for male cancer,.
The tournament in aid of Everyman, the nation’s leading male cancer charity which kicked off on Sunday 29th November, and over the last month, has seen Goals Soccer Centres play host to Champions League style heats at each of the 33 branches across the UK.
Winners from each branch travelled to Star City to participate in a one-day, knock out competition, with Hammersmith & Fulham aka Shebu receiving the prestigious accolade of being named the nations top 5-a-side team.
A total of 357 teams originally entered the competition and over £6,000 has been raised so far, with proceeds going to help fund research into testicular and prostate cancer at the Everyman Centre, Europe’s only dedicated male cancer centre.
‘The response we have had from lads cross the country has been fantastic,’ commented Everyman’s Jon Street. ‘The final was hugely competitive and Shebu were deserved champions. We can’t thank Goals and the players enough for their support and we look forward to more of the same when we stage the competition again next year.”
The Keep Your Eye on the Ball campaign was founded by Everyman, the Professional Footballers Association and The Football Association in 2000 in response to several high profile players including Neil Harris, Alan Stubbs and Jason Cundy being diagnosed with testicular cancer. In association with the PFA and FA the campaign aims to raise awareness of, and funds towards, research into male cancers.
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Media contact: Jon Street 020 7153 5542, Mobile 07875 026143 or email Jonathan.street@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 4-fold in the last 50 years, but thanks to advances made at Everyman, testicular cancer is 99% curable if caught early, and with treatment the overall cure rate is 97%.
