The FA is backing the Bobby Moore Fund’s new Football Shirt Friday as part of bowel cancer awareness month this April.
The charity – which bears the name of the great 1966 World Cup-winning captain – has teamed up with Brazil superstar Pelé to call on supporters to wear their team colours on Friday in support of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.
Whether you’re a Hammer, Canary or have no idea what the offside rule is, it is time to make sure you’ve got a football shirt ready to wear with pride on Friday 11 April 2014.
Bobby Moore kisses the World Cup in 1966
It is the one day of the year to put football rivalry aside and form one team to help in the fight against bowel cancer, in memory of the England legend. Alternatively, and fittingly given the World Cup is nearly upon us, wear your England shirt with pride.
Football Shirt Friday is taking place the day before what would have been Bobby’s birthday, to raise awareness and funds for bowel cancer, a disease that took his life in 1993 when he was aged just 51.
The inspiration behind Football Shirt Friday comes from one of the most famous pictures of Bobby when he swapped football shirts with Pelé.
A close friend of Bobby’s, Pelé said: "The picture of Bobby and I swapping shirts at the 1970 World Cup brings the memories flooding back. It remains iconic to this day and I think it’s a great inspiration for the Bobby Moore Fund’s Football Shirt Friday.
"Swap your favourite football shirts with your friends in April, and help Make Bobby Proud by supporting life-saving bowel cancer research."
Moore and Pele embrace after England's game with Brazil in 1970
Bobby’s wife, Stephanie Moore MBE, set up the Bobby Moore Fund in partnership with Cancer Research UK to raise money for research into the disease, which is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK after lung cancer. To date, more than £20m has been raised to fund groundbreaking bowel cancer research.
Stephanie said: "We’re so excited about Football Shirt Friday. We hope it’s something lots of you will get involved in, either at the office or with friends and family.
"Thanks to research, and support from the public, we’ve made great progress in the fight against bowel cancer, and more people are surviving the disease than ever before. But we can’t stop here – there is still so much more to do. One day we’ll Make Bobby Proud and beat bowel cancer."
So get your team together for Friday 11 April 2014 and Make Bobby Proud. To find out more visit, www.footballshirtfriday.org.
And make sure you follow #FootballShirtFriday on the Bobby Moore Fund Facebook page, and Cancer Research UK’s Twitter and Instagram.
