Russ Green and Jeff Stelling will be back at Wembley this weekend – when the pair are Prostate Cancer UK’s Guests of Honour for the Play-Off Finals.
In March, Pools Chief Executive Green and Sky Sports presenter Stelling completed a gruelling ten-day charity challenge which saw them walk 262 miles from Hartlepool to Wembley, raising funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK.
Now the charity have moved to reward the duo for their efforts during the successful Men United March – which to date has raised more than £377,000 – by inviting them to this weekend’s showpiece finals.
Green will be Guest of Honour at Monday’s League Two Final between AFC Wimbledon and Plymouth Argyle, and will be on the pitch before kick-off to be introduced to the players.
Meanwhile, Stelling will be the charity’s Guest of Honour on Sunday when the League One Play-Off Final sees Barnsley and Millwall lock horns at Wembley.
“I think it’s a massive honour for myself and the Football Club really,” a humbled Green told us this week.
“It was totally unexpected; we didn’t do the walk for this, we did it raise awareness of Prostate Cancer UK but hopefully things like this can help us keep it in people’s minds.
“Whatever we went through during the walk, it was nothing compared to the suffering that people have gone through with prostate cancer and the stories we heard along the way were very touching.
“I was totally unaware before this to be honest, but now I really want to become more involved with the charity – we’ve already helped raise awareness but we want more people to know about it.
“I think Hartlepool United has become synonymous with Prostate Cancer UK now because of the fact Jeff and I are Hartlepool people so we are really looking forward to working together more going forward.
“We’ve already revealed plans for the Prostate Cancer UK Stand at Victoria Park but that’s only the start because we’ve got loads of ideas for the coming season which we think can really help push the word out.
“For now, I’m just really looking forward to Monday’s game – and hopefully this time next year we’re looking forward to watching Pools play at Wembley!”
Prostate Cancer UK are the Official Charity Partner of The Football League with clubs joining the fight against a disease that affects one in eight men in the UK.
With 330,000 men – enough to fill Victoria Park more than 42 times over – living with prostate cancer in the UK, the partnership will help to increase awareness of the disease and help raise funds so that more men survive it and enjoy a better quality of life.
Prostate Cancer UK Chief Executive Angela Culhane, who walked the final marathon, and more than 50 miles during the walk, said: “The blisters may have healed after an incredible 10 days, but I’m delighted to say the legacy of Jeff’s Men United March is still very much alive.
“Our long-term partnership with The Football League and the Guest of Honour slots at the five Wembley finals allow us to say thank to people who have gone the extra mile for us, and it’s extra fitting that Russ and Jeff can return to the home of football after the amazing exploits earlier this year.
“It was mentally and physically exhausting for them, but Jeff and Russ performed heroically throughout 10 unforgettable days. Two mates getting together to do something great and help beat prostate cancer; that’s the perfect example of what we call Men United.
“We also thank Russ and Hartlepool United for the amazing gesture of unveiling the Prostate Cancer UK Stand next season, which will ensure our message about this deadly disease cannot be dismissed.
“Ignoring prostate cancer will not beat it. But our Men United March has helped wake men up to the need to take action.
“Thanks to the more than £365,000 raised to date, we can fund more ground-breaking research to fight back against the disease.
“It will help us provide dedicated support and information to men and their families and make prostate cancer a disease the next generation of men need not fear.”
Green is now looking forward to personally wishing former Pools star Peter Hartley luck when he sees him on the pitch on Monday – though it might be a bit of a shock for the Plymouth Argyle defender.
“I’d kept it as a bit of a surprise for Peter to be honest,” he laughed.
“He phoned me last week to see if I could get any more tickets for him for the Final and then asked if I was going – I just told him I was thinking about it!”
Clocking in at 262 miles, Jeff’s Men United March – menunitedmarch.org – saw Stelling and Green check in on 32 football clubs, including newly-crowned Premier League champions Leicester City. Along the way they were joined by famous friends and colleagues, and men affected by prostate cancer, while Carlsberg signed up as a supporting sponsor.
The phenomenal £377,000 raised through the March will help fund vital research projects such as Professor Johann De Bono’s at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust – whose teams have been developing a genetic test for aggressive prostate cancer to help assess which men will respond best to a certain treatment.
Pools fans and a supporting cast of more than 400 from the epic Men United March are also able to walk down memory lane by watching the documentary ‘Stelling’s March to the Arch’.
The hour-long programme, showcases the popular presenter’s journey from his beloved Victoria Park, and captures the highs and lows during a life-changing week-and-a-half. Sky viewers can watch via the On Demand, Sky Go and Catch-up services.