Club extends support for 'Get to know cancer'

Following an overwhelming response from fans, players, staff and the general public, Tottenham Hotspur is delighted to announce it will continue its support for ‘Get to know cancer’ during the 2014/15 Premier League season.

• Campaign receives overwhelming response in first season
• Club shows commitment to raising awareness of cancer and promoting early diagnosis by extending partnership for another season
• Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, welcomes Club’s extended support
• Awareness to reach global stage as players wear ‘Get to know cancer’ branded shirts for this Saturday’s match

Following an overwhelming response from fans, players, staff and the general public, Tottenham Hotspur is delighted to announce it will continue its support for ‘Get to know cancer’ during the 2014/15 Premier League season.

The Club committed to using its appeal and high profile platform to raise awareness of the symptoms of cancer and promote early diagnosis amongst its fans and the community throughout the current season, with the message that cancer is ‘not only treatable, but beatable’ if detected early.

• Over half of fans who took part in a recent survey said the knowledge they had gained from the campaign had changed the length of time they would usually wait to get advice about unexplained changes in their health.
• A number of supporters had also been prompted to seek medical advice, further demonstrating the success of the campaign.

All Club players and staff have been heavily involved in helping to raise awareness of ‘Get to know cancer’, from using high profile events involving first team players to regular activity at Premier League home games, and will continue to do so for another year.

This Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur will take awareness of the campaign to a global level, wearing the ‘Get to know cancer’ logo on the shirts for their London derby match with Fulham, in front of an estimated worldwide audience of 4.4 billion.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who set up the London Health Improvement Board to increase early diagnosis of cancer in London by 10 per cent over three years, has been a huge supporter of the Club’s work with ‘Get to know cancer’ to date.

Upon learning of the extension of this unique partnership, he said: “Tottenham Hotspur is doing a fantastic job to raise awareness of cancer, which will affect four in ten Londoners. We are also big supporters of the ‘Get to Know Cancer’ campaign, because key to successful treatment and saving lives is early diagnosis. I hope that the work Spurs are doing will encourage many more people to come forward for advice or to be checked for symptoms.”

Since August last year, there has been the continued presence of campaign volunteers and the ‘Get to know cancer’ market stall at White Hart Lane, providing potentially life-saving information to thousands of supporters that attend Premier League home games, as well as a series of high profile events and activity aimed at educating fans on the signs and symptoms of various forms of cancer and promoting early diagnosis.

Highlights have included Kyle Walker opening a six-week drop-in clinic in Tottenham; Spurs Ladies working with CoppaFeel! to encourage women from the local area to regularly check for symptoms of breast cancer; Ledley King taking part in Movember, with the first ever public moustache-shaving during a half-time interval of a Premier League match; and Mousa Dembele unveiling revolutionary cancer screening equipment at North Middlesex Hospital.

Club Captain, Michael Dawson, said: “This campaign is something close to our hearts and we’re proud to be wearing the ‘Get to know cancer’ logo on our shirts for the Fulham match. Using the Club’s profile has so far been an effective way to raise awareness as we know early diagnosis is everything and can be the difference between life and death. I speak on behalf of all players and staff in saying that we’re delighted to be continuing our support for the campaign next season.” 

Cancer survival rates in the UK have doubled over the past 40 years, and NHS England hopes an extra 1,000 lives in the capital can be saved every year through early diagnosis.

Dr Andy Mitchell, Medical Director of NHS England (London) said: "In the time it takes the average commuter to get home this evening, three Londoners will hear the news that they have cancer. That’s 82 people every day – enough to fill a double decker bus. It’s no surprise that cancer is at the top of the list of health concerns for London’s residents, and its NHS services.

"That is why I am delighted that Tottenham Hotspur is continuing to work in partnership with us on our 'Get to know cancer' campaign - designed to encourage people to do the single most important thing to beat cancer: get help sooner. The Club has been instrumental in supporting the campaign in the 2013/14 season, helping raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease at home games, in pop-up clinics and online.

"We - and London's patients - are grateful to Spurs for their vital support and we're excited about next season's campaign. We look forward to working together to send out a clear message that - with early detection - cancer is treatable, even beatable."

The special edition shirts worn in Saturday’s match will be signed by players and put up for auction to raise money for six cancer charities the Club has worked with through its support for ‘Get to know cancer’. These six charities include: CoppaFeel!, Cancer Research UK, Ovarian Cancer Action, The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, Beating Bowel Cancer and Bowel Cancer UK.