Patrons/Ambassadors
Martin Johnson CBE
Former rugby union legend who represented and captained Leicester and England, most notably leading England to World Cup glory in 2003.
He's regarded as one of the greatest locks to have ever played the game. He toured three times with the British and Irish Lions, becoming the only man to have captained them on two separate tours. He also led his club Leicester Tigers to back-to back Heineken Cup victories and won the league six times.
On becoming patron for The John Hartson Foundation, Martin says: “Having been approached to become a patron for the foundation, I was only too glad to say yes and offer my support on helping the foundation achieve their aims and objectives to create the awareness and risks of testicular cancer and the importance for young men especially to check themselves on a regular basis.”
“As a fellow sportsman I hope that The John Hartson Foundation continue their hard work is raising funds for this great cause.”
Ryan Giggs OBE
Ryan Giggs is a Welsh footballer who has played for Manchester United for his entire professional career. He established himself as a left-winger during the 1990s and continued in this position well into the 2000s, but he has been increasingly used in a deeper playmaking role in his later years.
Giggs holds a host of football records, including that of being the most decorated player in English football history. On 16 May 2009, he became the first footballer to collect 11 top division English league title medals. Giggs was the first player in history to win two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards (1992 and 1993) and is the only player to have played and scored in every single season of the Premier League since its inception.
As well as the many honours Giggs has received within football such as being named in the Football League 100 Legends (the last active player in the list), he was appointed an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours List, and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005, for his services to English Football. He was named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2009.
Neil Jenkins MBE
Neil Jenkins is a former rugby union football player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British and Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the second-highest scorer in international rugby history. He was the first player to score 1,000 points in international matches.
Jenkins' main strength was his kicking, although he was deceptively quick in his early career. Despite this, he still received tremendous criticism and many felt that he was not worthy enough to inherit the Welsh number 10 shirt of Barry John, Phil Bennett and Cliff Morgan, leading Jenkins to tailor his game to the demands of the modern game. He developed his tackling, passing and running skills, especially under the coaching of Graham Henry, and became an excellent distributor of the ball, notably his excellent flat passes, and also a strong runner. After just 28 test matches for Wales, he became the nation's record points-scorer.
Jenkins went on the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa, playing full back in all three tests. His extremely accurate goalkicking enabled the Lions to beat the Springboks during the first two tests, and thus secure the series 2-1.
“When I was approached to become patron of this great foundation I was only too happy to offer my full support to help the foundation achieve their goals, it is a tribute to John that he is looking to help others and create the awareness of checking themselves on a regular basis during his own fight with his battle against Testicular Cancer.”