Prostate United is back. This season, every football fan has a chance to join the team.

As the leaves turn, the nights draw in, and the football season gets into full swing, Prostate United is calling on football fans across the country to pull on their trainers and join the team. 

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. 1 in 8 men will get it - and that risk is higher for Black men, men over 50 and men with a family history of the disease.

That’s why Prostate United is about more than October miles.

It’s about showing up for dads, brothers, partners, mates, teammates and the men in every stand, every changing room, every dugout and every community.

This October, you can walk, run, and compete every day, raising money to help fund lifesaving research, better tests, earlier diagnosis and support for men and their families affected by prostate cancer. 

So, as the fixtures pile up and the competition heats up, why not add one more team to your list to cheer for?

SIGN UP TO PROSTATE UNITED

Where it all began

Although thousands have pulled on the shirt over the years, Prostate United didn’t begin as a national campaign. It started with two people in football, a personal connection to prostate cancer, and an idea that would grow far beyond anything they could have imagined.

In 2018, while working at Rotherham United, Stephen Gilpin was asked by then-manager Paul Warne to speak about someone who had inspired him. Stephen chose his grandad, Norman, who he lost to prostate cancer in 2010. 

Sharing Norman’s story brought Stephen’s personal connection to prostate cancer into the heart of the football club. It also got him thinking about what he could do to help stop other families from experiencing the same loss. 

Together with his friend and colleague, Ross Burbeary, Stephen set himself a challenge: run 10km every day for a month to raise money and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK.

At the time it was simply a challenge between colleagues, but it soon gathered momentum. The idea began to spread, more people got involved, and Prostate United was born.

From club staff to a football movement

Early on, Prostate United was built around the people who keep football clubs moving behind the scenes: physios, coaches, analysts, kit staff, academy teams, medical teams and office staff.

The challenge was simple but demanding: move every day for a month and raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. 

Its appeal was clear. It gave people in football a way to do something together. Club staff could represent their badge, take on a real physical challenge, and turn rivalry into something shared and positive.

And before long, more people wanted to be part of it.

By 2021, more than 300 staff members from over 40 clubs had pledged to take part, including staff from Wolves, Leeds United, Everton and Norwich City. And soon enough, the challenge had also started to reach beyond football, with people from rugby league, ice hockey and even the USA getting involved.

Since then, Prostate United has continued to grow. By October 2023, the challenge had raised £340,000, reaching £500,000 the following year. And in 2024, the magical £1 million fundraising barrier was smashed!  

When football comes together

One of the most powerful examples of what Prostate United means came in 2021, when Luton Town rallied behind club legend Mick Harford following his prostate cancer diagnosis.

For their Championship fixture against Cardiff City, the club swapped their usual shirt sponsor for Prostate Cancer UK, putting the cause front and centre for everyone watching. 

But the support didn’t stop there. During that season, an impressive 61 staff members, including then-manager Nathan Jones, took part in Prostate United, raising over £28,000 to help save more men’s lives.

It was a brilliant example of football using its platform for something bigger than the 90 minutes.

And it wasn’t just clubs getting behind the cause. In 2025, footballer Joe Bunney took on 10km every day throughout October, raising money and awareness in honour of Ella Toone's dad who sadly died in 2024.

Their story reached national media, giving Joe a bigger platform to encourage men to learn about their risk and get checked.

Moments like these have helped make Prostate United more than a fundraising challenge. They show what can happen when football communities come together, rally around a cause and use the power of the game to make a difference when it matters most.

SIGN UP TO PROSTATE UNITED

The stories behind the miles

Behind every mile, every donation and every league table position are real people and real stories.

For Dave Cossie from Shrewsbury, the cause is deeply personal.

In December 2021, Dave's twin brother Pete was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Because of their shared family history and that their Black ethnicity put them at higher risk, Dave decided to visit his GP. 

Following further tests, Dave was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Thankfully, because his cancer was found early - before it could spread beyond the prostate - he had a number of treatment options and is now doing well.

For Dave, knowing his risk may have saved his life. Having seen first-hand what an early diagnosis could mean, he wanted to help other men do the same.

That’s why, he decided to take on a cycling challenge for Prostate Cancer UK. With support from Shrewsbury Town Football Club, staff, supporters, friends and family, he raised £2,400 and cycled an incredible 171 miles.

But the biggest moment came when he least expected it. 

While Dave was getting ready to watch his beloved Shrewsbury Town, one of the club’s supporters approached him. They told him that they had seen coverage of his story and, inspired by what they’d heard, decided to take action. They were later diagnosed with prostate cancer but, thanks to the awareness Dave raised, it was found early enough to be treated.

In this moment, Dave saw the impact of sharing his story. His fundraising had done more than raise money - it had encouraged someone to take action that might have saved their life.

Although Pete sadly died in December 2025, Dave's experience  is a powerful reminder of why awareness and early diagnosis matter, and how football communities can make a real difference by signing up to Prostate United this October.

This club matters more

From Ross and Stephen’s first challenge in 2018 to a nationwide movement of football fans, club staff, managers, mascots, ambassadors and supporters, Prostate United has become a firm fixture in the football calendar.

Along the way, it has raised seven figures, brought clubs together across divisions, and given supporters a platform to share stories that have encouraged other men to get checked. 

Now, it’s back.

Whether you support a Premier League side, an EFL club, a non-league team or you’re a free agent, there’s a place for you in Prostate United. 

Walk. Run. Compete. Every day in October.

Represent your club and help save men’s lives, because every mile you put in and every pound you raise helps fund lifesaving research, better tests, earlier diagnosis and support for men and their families affected by prostate cancer.

SIGN UP TO PROSTATE UNITED