Men United Signs Summerbee & Deloitte
Football legend and prostate cancer survivor Mike Summerbee has joined business advisory firm Deloitte in signing for Men United to spearhead the launch of the campaign, ‘Men United v Prostate Cancer’, across the footballing heartlands of the North West.
Deloitte, which has over 14,000 employees, selected Prostate Cancer UK as one of its three charity partners in June 2013, and held a special signings day at its Manchester office Deloitte on Friday, calling on its staff meet a local hero and sign up to the Men United team.
In the UK 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and thousands are diagnosed in the North West every year. Now the new campaign is using the language of sport to engage with men in the region, and across the UK, in the battle against the men-only killer.
The Men United team has already signed leading figures such as Sir Michael Parkinson, Homeland star Damian Lewis, Game of Thrones hard man Charles Dance and rugby legend Will Carling – bringing Mike Summerbee into a strong squad.
Ex-England and Manchester City winger, Summerbee, said: ‘I played more than 700 professional matches in my football career and pitted my wits against some of the greatest players of my generation, but battling prostate cancer has been my greatest challenge. I’m proud to sign for Men United, and proud to be part of a squad that not only includes international footballers, and stars from show business and the film industry, but men from all trades and all walks of life.’
‘Each and every one of us must all pull together to fight this killer disease, one that will affect one in eight men in their lifetime. I am one of those eight and with the help of Prostate Cancer UK we can work on making a change for the better.’
In his role of Men United ‘gaffer’, comedian Bill Bailey fronts the campaign which kicked off with a national television message last weekend. In the 30-second advert, which can be seen on TV until the end of March, Bailey calls on men from all walks of life to sign for Men United, adding their weight to the new movement to beat the devastating ‘dad’s disease’ once and for all.
‘We need men to sign for the team in their thousands. Clubs, pubs, individuals – let’s get everyone on the team. It’s easy – just search Men United online and you’re in! We’re determined to make this as massive for blokes as the breast cancer campaign has been for women,’ said Bill Bailey, whose own father-in-law is one of the 250,000 men in the UK living with the disease.
Dan Jones, Partner, Sports Business Group at Deloitte, added: ‘Deloitte is signing up to Prostate Cancer UK’s Men United v Prostate Cancer campaign because it is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK, yet it’s a little-known and under-funded disease. Men United is about building a movement for men. We’re proud to be able to help them get the message out so that they can support men affected by it and intensify the search for more reliable tests and treatments in the future.’
The sign up process is simple – people can go online, search Men United, complete a five question multiple choice quiz to test their knowledge of the disease, and sign for the team. They can also pledge their allegiance by proudly wearing the charity’s iconic ‘Man of Men’ pin badge which will be sent to them once signed up.
To sign for Men United visit: http://menunited.prostatecanceruk.org/?p=DeloitteSigingsDay
