Premiership Footballers.........Salt Of The Earth.

[Balboa]

Charity footballers 'slow to pay' 

Organiser Dr Noreena Hertz has refused to name non-payers
Premiership footballers who agreed to donate a day's wages to a nurses' hardship fund have coughed up less than a third of the money, organisers say.
Five months ago, 255 players promised to make donations to the May Day for Nurses appeal.

Big names, including Steven Gerrard and Thierry Henry, agreed to participate. More then £750,000 was pledged but just £200,000 has so far been collected.

Organisers have refused to name those who have yet to pay their contribution.

The idea behind the hardship fund was that well-paid footballers would give up a day's pay in order to help hard-up nurses.

The campaign was launched right at the end of the football season so the poor Royal College of Nursing then had to go and track down players and clubs

Campaign organiser Dr Noreena Hertz

Now, in October, with just £200,000 collected, there is no indication as to whether the full amount will turn up.

But appeal organiser Dr Noreena Hertz says she is confident the players will all pay up.

She told BBC News: "The campaign was launched right at the end of the football season so the poor Royal College of Nursing then had to go and track down players and clubs during the holidays and when the clubs were touring."

She said players should be given until Christmas to pay.

Managers, including Sir Alex Ferguson and Sam Allardyce, and former players, such as Jamie Redknapp and Graeme Le Saux, are also taking part.

The money raised will go into a fund administered by the Royal College of Nursing and will be distributed to nurses for things like child care or transport to work.

[ONeill]

I think there's more to this than this article suggests. I believe the fund organisers were unsure of who had signed up and didn't know who to contact.

[spiritof91and94]

Name and shame!!!

[Norf Tyrone]

Why are they raising money JUST for nurses. They do a great job, but surely there are numerous work groups that are underpaid?

I remember the Sun doing an article criticising Chelsea players for not taking part in this, but as usual only covered half the story. Chelsea advised the players not to take part, as in all liklihood details of wages etc would've entered the public domain. Instead Chelsea have a charity that is an official partner for the year, and within this the players contribute. I think CLIC was last years charity, and some some of football for all African initiative this year.

[AZOffaly]

Football for all Africans is just so they can poach the best of them. Typical Chelski

[Chrisowc]

Why are they raising money JUST for nurses. They do a great job, but surely there are numerous work groups that are underpaid?

I'm sure footballers and their clubs donate and do plenty for charity.  Where do you stop when it comes to a good cause?  Oh, we can't give to this good cause because there is another good cause who are getting nothing?

I think this is initiative has come from Nigel Reo-Coker who's mother is a nurse.

[deiseach]

The narrow point is that anyone who offered money should cough up.

The wider point is that it's nasty how professional soccer players, because of their recently acquired wealth and the lack of effort they put in for it, seem to eb obligated to demonstrate their love of charidee to all and sundry. There's echoes of that stunt the Sindo pulled a while back where they wrote to a number of noteworthy people asking for a donation to buy Chirstmas presents for Generic Wee Little Poppet, then splashed the responses all over the paper. I remember Dermot Desmond sent £100. You can be sure he's binned any such request since, and I wouldn't blame Premiership players who tell all charities to take a hike so they can say they treat all requests the same.

[Norf Tyrone]

Football for all Africans is just so they can poach the best of them. Typical Chelski

Careful.....

I'm sure footballers and their clubs donate and do plenty for charity.  Where do you stop when it comes to a good cause?  Oh, we can't give to this good cause because there is another good cause who are getting nothing?

Exactly Chris.....although some of them are seriusly detached from life's realities too.

[Chrisowc]

I'm sure footballers and their clubs donate and do plenty for charity.  Where do you stop when it comes to a good cause?  Oh, we can't give to this good cause because there is another good cause who are getting nothing?

Exactly Chris.....although some of them are seriusly detached from life's realities too.

I'd say half of them haven't seen their bank statements or even their own passport.