Prostate United | Bluebirds back Prostate Cancer UK’s latest campaign

Cardiff City FC encourages supporters to take on football’s biggest grassroots challenge this October to help stop prostate cancer claiming a life every 45 minutes.

Prostate United, the biggest grassroots football fundraiser in the UK, has unveiled a sparkling new shirt as a fan incentive as they aim to hit the magical £1m milestone for Prostate Cancer UK this season.

Former professional footballer Viv Anderson leant his support to the nationwide fundraising initiative at a launch event in Manchester earlier this month, to highlight the lofty ambition of Prostate United this season.

Since its launch in 2018, over 60 football clubs - both professional and non-league - hundreds of club staff and now fans, have walked, run or cycled every day during the month of October to save men’s lives and Prostate United 2024 is shaping up to be even bigger and better.

This year, to mark the epic fundraising, those taking part can get their hands on an exclusive money-can’t-buy shirt by raising £500 for the charity.

The striking Prostate United shirt comes from the imagination of renowned designer Ed Cowburn from Acid FC. He has previously designed kits for Leeds United in 2023/24 as well as an award-winning offering for Walthamstow FC. Paying homage to the early 90s, the pixel patterned shirt, with a checkerboard effect, features the blue, black and white charity brand colours. The number 45 on the front represents the one man that dies every 45 minutes from prostate cancer in the UK.

Viv, who has previously cycled from Yorkshire to Amsterdam for the charity, discussed his storied career at the event and chatted about some of the iconic shirts he wore over his 20-year career.

He said: “I love football kits, and I’ve played in some crackers myself, many which provoke strong memories of my playing career, from my debut for Man United in 1987 and the history-making Nottingham Forest shirt I played in when we won the European Cup for the first time. I’ll aways remember the first England shirt I wore back in 1978, while the shirt I played the League Cup final in for Arsenal is also important to me.

“This Prostate United shirt is special too and it comes with a serious message which all men of a certain age need to hear and it’s one I’m very proud to share. I’m also aware black men are at double the risk of prostate cancer as other men, so for me personally this is an important cause to support.”

Cowburn added: “I always hope my work will bring some joy and style as well as get people talking. Prostate Cancer UK have done lots of great things in football, and hopefully this is the start of fans out there looking forward to Prostate United each year and getting involved along with raising plenty of money.”

Prostate United is the brainchild of Stephen Gilpin and Ross Burbeary, two performance coaches working in the EFL at Rotherham United.  

In six years, the campaign they created has raised over £500,000 to help stop men dying from prostate cancer – a disease claiming the lives of one man each half of a football match. This year, the duo are aiming even higher – towards the million-pound milestone, double what has been raised so far.

Gilpin, who lost his grandfather Norman to the disease in 2012 and now works for Wolverhampton Wanderers, said: “Last season was really special with the clubs that got involved and not just the members of staff working at football clubs, but supporters of those clubs up and down the country.

“We know supporters are the lifeblood of the game and in getting as many as them involved through their clubs as possible will drive the campaign and its messaging forward. What we saw with the interaction with fan bases and communities was absolutely fantastic and that translated into numbers that participated and the amount raised. Our hope for this year is to hit the £1m mark!”

Burbeary, now of Huddersfield Town, and who joined Anderson and Cowburn at the launch, added: “We want more clubs to be involved this year. We’re really trying to bring football - from grassroots level up to the Premier League - together, all with one aim of raising as much money as we can for Prostate Cancer UK.”

You can sign up for Prostate United here.

Seren Evans, Head of Events and Community Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK said: “This year promises to be the biggest yet in the history of Prostate United and we can’t wait to work with Stephen and Ross again, along with all of the football clubs and supporters that sign up. We’re also really excited to offer our top fundraisers a unique new shirt and grateful to Ed for designing it.

“From the Premier League and EFL down to grassroots level, football has been so influential in raising the profile of prostate cancer. Across the football industry, from the terraces to the touchlines, in board rooms and living rooms across the UK, as well as across pavements and parks, Prostate Cancer UK are uniting against the deadliest opponent of all.

“Whether signing-up as part of a team or going solo, every activity completed, and every pound raised helps fund lifesaving research into better tests and treatments to save men’s lives.”

To join your club and help save men’s lives this October, sign up for Prostate United 2024 at prostateunited.prostatecanceruk.org.