Charity football match in aid of Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity

The blood cancer charity, Anthony Nolan, has teamed up with Sunday league football club SE Dons FC for an inspiring re-brand to raise awareness of the urgent need for 16–24-year-old men to join the stem cell register.

For one match day only, SE Dons will become SE Donates as the team take on London rivals ShoTime FC on Sunday at Bromley FC ’.

With more than half of all stem cell donations provided by young men, this demographic can be game changers for blood cancer treatment in the UK.

However male donors aged 16-30 currently make up just 18% of the register. As a football club is only as good as its squad, Anthony Nolan and SE Dons have issued a rallying cry to encourage more young people to register to donate their stem cells and help save someone’s life.

A spokesman for  Anthony Nolan Trust said: “The UK’s existing stem cell register needs to urgently grow. The younger the pool of donors, the more likely a match will be found, and the more effective treatment can be for patients, therefore many more young people are needed to join the register.

“Once signed up, there is a 1 in 800 chance of being asked to donate in the next five years – so if you’re named in the squad, you won’t necessarily make it on to the pitch.”

 “We were incredibly inspired by SE Dons ‘Anything’ mantra and the support and devotion they provider for their teammates, fans and wider family. We knew they were the perfect partner for Anthony Nolan, helping to drive that support and create action for our stem cell donor register.’

Don Strapzy founder of SE Dons said: “The Dons are always looking for ways that we can make a difference on important issues and the lifesaving work that Anthony Nolan do is something we’re proud to be involved with.’

 “Our ‘anything’ mantra means that we do anything for each other on and off the pitch, Anthony Nolan shares the same energy. Together, we can build our squad to fight against blood cancer and blood disorders by encouraging young people to make a difference and join the stem cell register.’

 SE Donates will take on rivals ShoTime FC in ‘Match for a Match’ at Bromley FC, where the stadium will host a pop-up registration centre for those wanting to join the Anthony Nolan squad. [Insert further event details]

For more information on the match and to find out how to join the stem cell register go to https://localhost//anthonynolan.org/M4AM 

Find out how you can get your hands on the limited-edition SE Dons x Anthony Nolan jersey at www.sedons.com