England

v

Germany

 

 

 

International Friendly
8pm, Wednesday 22 August 2007
Wembley Stadium

Every player in the England Football team will forego their match fees earned from Wednesday’s friendly against Germany, following a decision by the team to set up their own charitable trust.

The Team England Footballers Charity will raise at least £1m for charitable causes ahead of the next World Cup.

The players spoke out this week about their Team England Footballers Charity and how they intend to use their time, influence and reputation to support charities they have chosen to work with; their choices include the Association of Children’s Hospices; WellChild; the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK and the Professional Footballers Association Charity Initiatives.

Speaking about the Team England Footballers Charity, England captain John Terry said: “It was a collective decision by the squad to set up our own Team England Footballers Charity to enable us to both donate our England match fees and dedicate time to charities we wanted to work with.

"It is something the players are proud to support and be involved in.”

The sum of £1 million will primarily be raised through the players donating all of their England match fees to the players’ charity, but it’s expected the minimum figure of £1 million will be exceeded by additional charitable activities undertaken by the players.

In addition to supporting the other charities, the Team England Footballers Charity is planning to launch its own grassroots initiative whilst continuing to support The FA and their grassroots and charity campaigns.

Stephanie Moore, MBE, Founder of The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK said: "45 men and women die every day in the UK from bowel cancer. It is the second highest killing cancer in this country, yet if bowel cancer is detected early, more than eight out of ten cases could be successfully treated.

"I am indebted to the England squad for choosing to support the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. Bobby was the England captain in 1966 and he would have been extremely proud to be associated with the national team today," she added.

"Our partnership with the England squad will make a huge difference to thousands of lives. By working together we will beat cancer."

Barbara Gelb, Chief Executive of the Association of Children’s Hospices (ACH), explained more about the boost it will give the charities.

“Our partnership with the England football team is about much more than raising funds," she said.

"Through this relationship we are able to raise awareness of the vital and unique work that children’s hospice services do caring and supporting children who will not live to reach adulthood. It also gives a huge boost to the children that we support to have this connection with their heroes, and that in itself is priceless.”

Gordon Taylor, Chief Executive The Professional Footballers Association added: “In this our Centenary year we at the PFA are delighted to be associated with the Team England Footballers Charity.

"This charitable initiative once again highlights the commitment of our members to using their profile and position for the benefit of the wider community.”