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Tottenham Hotspur Football Club to support major NHS campaign, ‘Get to know cancer’, over coming season

  • Season-long partnership receives public backing from Mayor of London, Boris Johnson
  • ‘Get to know cancer’ aimed at saving London lives from cancer by promoting awareness and early detection
  • Tottenham Hotspur players and staff to show support at first home game of the season against Swansea City this Sunday
  • Regular events to be held throughout the season to raise awareness amongst Club’s fans

LONDON, Monday 19th August 2013: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is proud to announce its support of NHS campaign ‘Get to know cancer’ for the 2013/2014 Barclays Premier League season.

With the backing of Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, the Club, its players and staff will be actively promoting awareness and early detection of cancer symptoms throughout the new football season, starting with Tottenham Hotspur’s first home match of the campaign against Swansea City this Sunday, August 25.

The team will be warming up for the match in campaign t-shirts, with staff wearing badges that display the ‘Get to know cancer – It’s treatable, even beatable’ slogan.

Campaign volunteers will also be present at White Hart Lane to pass potentially life-saving information onto the 36,000 supporters expected to attend the game.

The Mayor of London, who set up the London Health Improvement Board (LHIB), which aims to increase early diagnosis of cancer in London by 10 per cent over three years, said:

“Cancer is an issue that will affect around four in ten Londoners, but thousands of lives can be saved with early diagnosis. I’m delighted that Tottenham Hotspur is getting behind the ‘Get to know cancer’ campaign, and hope it will encourage people to feel more confident about dealing with and detecting the early signs of cancer.”

Since the 1990s, cancer has consistently been the number one health issue prioritised by the UK public. England’s cancer outcomes lag behind Europe largely due to late diagnosis, and statistics show one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer.

Fear, fatalism and worry about wasting the doctor’s time delay GP attendance, with men in particular 50% less likely to visit the doctor when they first notice something wrong.

‘Get to know cancer’ aims to ensure every Londoner can recognise the signs and symptoms of cancer and feels confident to consult their GP as soon as they notice something unusual.

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.

It’s something Tottenham Hotspur is determined to help the campaign achieve, with the Club adopting the strapline ‘THFC – Tottenham Hotspur Fighting Cancer’.

Michael Dawson, Club captain, said:

“This is a campaign that is close to our hearts and something that everyone at Tottenham Hotspur is keen to get behind and support over the coming season.

“As an English Premier League club with global appeal, we have the ability to raise awareness of important causes like this and we know that we can reach out to our fanbase and beyond with the message that cancer is treatable, and even beatable, if detected early enough.

“Therefore, I speak on behalf of all the players at the Club when I say that we are delighted to give our backing to ‘Get to know cancer’ and looking forward to the activities that will be taken place throughout the year.”

Dr Andy Mitchell, Medical Director of NHS England (London), added:

“I am delighted that Tottenham Hotspur is backing the ‘Get to know cancer’ campaign. Together we are encouraging people to do the single most important thing to beat cancer – get help sooner.

“The earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance of successful treatments. If we can match cancer survival rates with the best in the world, we can save an extra 1,000 lives in London every year. Cancer is treatable, even beatable.”

‘Get to know cancer’ trains volunteers to talk about cancer within their local communities. Around 300 ‘Cancer Activists’ have been recruited to date with dedicated training provided by Cancer Research UK.

Volunteers will be regularly attending Tottenham Hotspur home matches at White Hart Lane throughout the season, with a market stall based on Tottenham Square.