Football legends will join television stars at a pitch in St Albans this weekend to raise awareness of and vital funds to fight prostate cancer.
Les Ferdinand, director of football at QPR and ex-England international, will be at St Albans City Football Club’s league match against Hampton & Richmond Borough FC at Clarence Park this Saturday (3).
While there he will catch up with Sky Sports pundit and ex-Arsenal/Leicester/England footballer Alan Smith, Sky Sports reporter Geoff Shreeves and Sky television commentator Martin Tyler.
The latter is the assistant manager of Hampton and Richmond.
All four men live in St Albans and are keen to do their bit to decrease the number of prostate cancer deaths.
Football legend Les, a resident of St Albans for more than 20 years, told the Herts Advertiser that it was a subject close to his heart: “I lost my grandad to prostate cancer – it has been prevalent in my family, so I’m trying to raise awareness because we have to get the message across that it can be cured with the right treatment, if caught early.
“It is a taboo subject for some men. But it is important to get the message across because there is mis-education about the medical examination.
“A lot of men don’t know that when they go to the doctors, the first thing they will do is a blood test to measure the prostate-specific antigen (PSA).”
The blood level of PSA is often elevated in men with prostate cancer.
Les said that he had his levels checked regularly, but many men did not realise that doctors arranged for the test during an initial consultation, before any further investigations were carried out.
Saints owner Lawrence Levy said that while Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) had a partnership with the English Football League (EFL), St Albans City FC has been the “largest and primary non-league supporter of PCUK”.
Lawrence added: “We have reduced our ticket prices for the day to encourage attendance and will be suggesting people make donations to PCUK on the day in lieu of the reduced entrance fee.”
He said the game would be a “top clash” with a Geoff Shreeves holding a Q&A session with Les on the pitch at Clarence Park at half time.
Les will also be promoting PCUK, particularly as he is taking part in a charity bike ride for the organisation next year.
Prostate Cancer UK’s 10-year objective is to reduce deaths by 50 per cent. On average, nearly 11,000 men die every year from this type of cancer in the United Kingdom.
There are fears that if the rising death trend continues, by 2026 prostate cancer will kill over 14,500 men every year. The charity estimates that deaths could be cut in half through improved diagnosis and treatment.
• The match kicks off at 3pm, with people encouraged to arrive at least 15 minutes beforehand. An auction will also be held.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here