Jeff Stelling paid a special visit to Macron Stadium on Thursday morning as part of his March For Men walk in support of Prostate Cancer.
A well-known figure in the game courtesy of his position as presenter of Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday programme, the 62-year-old last year walked 262 miles from Hartlepool United’s Victoria Park to Wembley Stadium, raising £420,000 for the Football League’s national charity partner in the process.
Since then meanwhile, and after being inundated with support from people across the country, Jeff made the decision to walk 15 marathons in 15 days spanning over 400 miles this summer.
And on the seventh day of his journey, he – along with a host of former players such as Iain Dowie and Ade Akinbayi alongside people simply looking to back his campaign – turned up at Macron Stadium en route to Manchester United and Manchester City.
Speaking upon his arrival, Jeff said, “My body is holding up okay at the moment – as well as it can for a 62-year-old anyway!
“It’s all for a fantastic cause though. During our ten-hour journey today, ten men in the UK will have died from prostate cancer which is extremely frightening.
“We’re just desperate to raise awareness of the issue and tell men what they should be looking for, alongside their wives and partners too.
“We’ve had a brilliant turnout as wek – every day, we’ve walked with a different group and they’ve all been fantastic.
“All of those involved have links to prostate cancer – whether they’re suffering with it themselves or have a loved one who is. We’ve had such an amazing response in terms of support alongside the football clubs too who have welcomed us with open arms.
“Football is a family and although that may be a bit of a cliché, it most certainly applies here.”
Prostate Cancer UK started life as the Prostate Cancer Charity in 1996 and was founded by Professor Jonathan Waxman to address the 'Outrageous and arbitrary surgical treatment of men'.
They were the first national organisation for prostate cancer in the UK and their aim was to improve the care and welfare of those affected by prostate cancer, increase investment in research and raise public and political awareness of a long-neglected disease.
Initially, the organisation consisted of five members of staff and a helpline housed in a small room in Hammersmith hospital which ran one day a week.
They then merged with Prostate Action in 2012 and completely rebranded to form Prostate Cancer UK. In the last 20 years, they have invested over £37 million into ground breaking research and continue to provide award-winning support for men.
One in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes, with those odds being halved for black men.
To date, Jeff and his supporters have raised almost 200,000 so far with donations being accepted at his Just Giving page, www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/prostatecancer/jeffsmarchformen.
For more information meanwhile on Prostate Cancer UK and March For Men, please visit www.marchformen.org/jeffsmarch.