FC Isle of Man are delighted to unveil our new Goalkeeper shirt and in doing so signpost the club’s support of two very important charities Prostate Cancer UK and Mannin Cancers.
The club has always set community as its highest priority and the wellbeing of the island’s people is at the forefront of this.
Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK and around one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. That statistic is one in four for black men.
Prostate Cancer UK and Mannin Cancers exist to stop men dying of prostate cancer and this partnership sets out to raise awareness and help these two organisations save lives.
Inspired by Prostate Cancer UK’s iconic ‘Man of Men’ pin badge, worn by top-flight managers and football pundits across the UK, the club has dedicated its Goalkeeper kit to raise awareness of the disease, and the work of these two charities.
The club has also played an important role in bringing these two charities together to help them share knowledge and identify ways to co-operate so that they may save more lives.
An absence of any corporate sponsorship will be noticed on the shirts. Primary sponsor Manx Telecom Group has volunteered to remove its sponsorship from the home goalkeeper kit, Synapse 360 from the away goalkeeper kit and Rex Motor Company from the sleeves of both shirts. Their shared objective is to ensure that the effect of this shirt isn’t muted and the full impact of the kit’s message is felt.
FC Isle of Man is extremely proud both to be able to support both these fine charities and also of the altruistic actions of its shirt and sleeve sponsors. The public will get their first chance to see the kit during the club’s first game against Guernsey FC to be held at the Bowl on August 15th.
Gary Lamb, Manx Telecom Group Chief Executive:
We are very happy to support Prostate Cancer UK and Mannin Cancer’s drive to raise awareness and help improve the early diagnosis of prostate cancer on the Island. The number of men affected by this disease is often underestimated, and it’s something many sufferers are reluctant to talk about, so we’re pleased to be able to provide visibility at such a high-profile event.
Ian Drake, Rex Motor Company Managing Director:
To have any other sponsorship on the shirts would take away from the core message here, which is about raising awareness for Prostate Cancer.
We, here at Rex, feel very proud and fortunate to be affiliated with FC Isle of Man, because the organisation is much more than just a Football team; movements like this demonstrate that. As part of our partnership with FC Isle of Man, we will always do all we can to support important initiatives, like this one.
Matt Holdstock, Sport Engagement Manager at Prostate Cancer UK, said:
We’re delighted to team up with FC Isle of Man and it’s exciting to see our iconic ‘Man of Men’ uniquely emblazoned on their goalkeeper’s shirt for their inaugural match against Guernsey.
Prostate cancer kills one man every 45 minutes, and it’s the most common cancer in men, but we want to make prostate cancer a disease that the next generation of men do not fear.
Working alongside FC Isle of Man – a new club with an exciting future – will help to ensure lifesaving messaging about prostate cancer continues to have an impact within the football community not just in the UK, but wider. We thank FC Isle of Man for their support and look forward to working with the club going forward.
Derek Peters, Mannin Cancers Spokesperson:
We are so excited to be part of this initiative, Mannin Cancers is all about our people and our island, with all our funds spent and focused on island projects. Linking with such a community focused team like FC Isle of Man and our friends Prostate Cancer UK we can raise the profile of, and information available about, Male Cancers. All helping us to get faster, more accurate detection and treatment on island, ultimately saving lives.
Ty Smith, FC Isle of Man Commercial Director:
Prostate cancer is a huge problem for our community, and each of us will statistically be affected by prostate cancer in some way during our lifetime – whether that is directly or through a father, a husband, a brother, a son or a grandfather.
We felt it was our duty to do what we could to raise awareness of this cancer and also to help these two great organisations come together to achieve the mutual goal of saving more men from prostate cancer.
If we can help get Prostate Cancer UK’s excellent educational material to our support base, then encourage one man to see their GP, get a quick diagnosis because of the amazing new CT Scanning suite and diagnostic software funded by Mannin Cancers, then get them treated effectively with pioneering treatments evolved from the research funded by Prostate Cancer UK; well, mission accomplished.
We are looking forward to collaborating on many exciting projects with these two organisations, all with the same objective – to stop men dying from prostate cancer.
