The Football Association of Wales were delighted to receive a Special Recognition Award from the Welsh Blood Service at a Donor Awards night in Cardiff last week.
The award recognises the ‘Blood, Sweat and Cheers’ campaign which has been run in conjunction by the two organisations since November 2020.
The campaign, which harnesses the support of clubs across the JD Cymru Leagues and Genero Adran Leagues, has been transformative in its impact with over 3,000 lives potentially saved as a result.
Clubs across Wales utilise their community links to encourage fans to support the campaign and to highlight the importance of donating blood, platelets and bone marrow.
These lifesaving products can only come from volunteer donors and are required to help patients including those involved in accidents, organ transplants, pregnancy and certain types of cancer such as leukaemia. 350 blood donations are needed daily to supply 20 hospitals in Wales with enough blood to support lifesaving procedures for patients.
Since the start of the 2022/23 season, the Welsh Blood Service has also been the title sponsor of the men’s Tier 2 league cup. Barry Town United lifted the trophy in the inaugural final earlier this year, with this year’s regional finals to come at the start of April.
FAW CEO Noel Mooney, who became a blood donor last year, said: “It was a real privilege to receive this award on a night when so many fantastic donors were recognised for their life-saving contributions.
“We are incredibly proud of our partnership with the Welsh Blood Service, the Blood, Sweat and Cheers campaign and the impact that it has made across Cymru. It is the perfect campaign for our domestic leagues, as our clubs are situated within the heart of their communities which allows them to make a real difference.”
Find out more about signing up to donate blood by visiting: wbs.wales/football
