Saturday’s home match with Fleetwood Town, which is the club’s designated Level Playing Field fixture to celebrate and inspire good access and inclusion at sports venues, will be dedicated to Alzheimer’s Society.
This year the club’s Disabled Supporters’ Association have opted to focus on ‘hidden’ illnesses and disabilities, with support given to the Alzheimer’s Society mission to research the disease and support those living with the condition.
The Level Playing Field branding will be a key part of the match, with players donning the campaign t-shirts, while there will be plenty of social media content helping to raise awareness of the campaign messaging.
As part of raising awareness of the Alzheimer’s Society’s work, they will be present in the fan zone and around the ground with their dedicated volunteers there to chat about all aspects of their work – of course, any donations will be greatly received.
You may notice something different about our match day line up graphic, too, focusing on #TheForgottenThird – one third of people will experience Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.
The club are also working on telling personal stories of Alzheimer’s, with videos being produced to discuss the impact the disease has had on people within the Exeter City community, with this being launched on Saturday, ahead of the game.
Alzheimer's Society Community Fundraiser, Claire Frost, welcomed Exeter City Football Club’s decision to help raise money, and awareness, for the charity. She said:
“It’s wonderful that everyone at Exeter City Football Club is giving their support to Alzheimer’s Society. Every pound that is donated on 24 February, and the work being done to raise awareness of dementia, will make a life-changing difference to people affected by the condition.
“Football should be unforgettable, but for thousands of fans with dementia, this isn’t the case. 1 in 3 people born today will go on to develop it in their lifetime. It’s the UK’s biggest killer, but too many people still think dementia is just a sign of normal ageing, unsure of the symptoms, and too afraid to visit their GP.
“If you see the signs of dementia in a loved one, show them your support by visiting alzheimers.org.uk/sports to use Alzheimer’s Society’s symptoms checklist, get further information and donate to help fund research into early diagnosis.
“There are over 14,910 people living with dementia in Devon. But we simply can’t reach everyone without the continued support of incredible organisations like Exeter City Football Club. Together, we will end the devastation caused by dementia.”
For more information on Alzheimer’s, or if you need support for either yourself or someone else, please visit alzheimers.org.uk.