‘Toad-in-the-Goal’ football kits aiming to batter prostate cancer
Sunderland’s Fans Museum has teamed up with a North Yorkshire football club to tackle prostrate cancer in a most unconventional way.
Martyn Coombs is secretary of the Bedale branch of the SAFC Supporters’ Association and chairman/treasurer of Bedale AFC.
HepresentedMichaelGanley,founderoftheNorthBridge Street museum, with the latest version of Bedale’s kit, designed to raise awareness and funding for prostate cancer.
Themuseumnowhasseven Bedale kits on display with the arrivalofthe“ToadintheGoal” version, released on Yorkshire Day, August 1.
Bedale AFC are renowned for unconventional strips, which have sported sizzling sausages, hot dogs with ketchupandmustard,asee-through kit, a giant carrot and cheese grater goalkeeper kit.
Up to now the partnership
with food company HECK has raisedover£3,000instripsales alone. But this year, Bedale wanttobattertheiropponents withtheirlatestkit,inspiredby a sausage classic.
The fundraising came about following the death of a
friend of the club, Steve Garbett,fromprostatecanceraged 62in2014.Variouseventshave so far raised over £191,000 to combatthediseaseandhonour Steve’s memory.
Martyn said: “By taking the classic toad-in-the-hole and
giving it a whole new meaning – and name. Welcome Bedale AFC’s latest sausage-themed strip, ‘Toad in the Goal’.”
In the 2022-23 season, Bedale’s goalkeeper will be dressed, obviously, as a side helping of mixed veg. Prostate
CancerUKreceives£5fromthe sale of every shirt sold.
Martyn added: “Even though I live 50 miles away in North Yorkshire, I still have my Sunderland season card and love popping into the museum on match days and seeing our football shirts, which hopefully are a talking point and make men more aware of prostate cancer.”
Michael Ganley said: “We are delighted to receive these unique football kits, designed to raise money for a charity which is very close to our hearts here at the museum.
“It’s amazing that the money raised through sales of thesereplicashirtshelpsProstate Cancer UK, who are very close to developing a national screening system for all men."
The kits can be bought at www.bedaleafc.com.