England's Lampard urges players to do more for charity

Advertisement

Lampard urges youngsters to help charities

By Dan Roan
BBC sports news correspondent

Frank Lampard said footballers could do more for good causes as England relaunched their charitable trust on Thursday.

The England Footballers Foundation replaces the Team England Footballers Charity, which raised more than £1m.

Fabio Capello's squad have decided the Foundation's partner charities will be Help for Heroes and Cancer Research UK.

Lampard told BBC Sport: "Maybe players could do more. Young players have to understand their responsibilities."

The match fees paid to England's senior players - £750 for a defeat, £1,000 for a draw and £1,500 for a win - have been diverted to a range of good causes over recent seasons.

But at a time of unprecedented wages in football and a recession in the wider UK economy, Lampard urged younger players to contribute more to charity.

The Chelsea and England midfielder added: "If we can help raise money and more importantly awareness of these causes then we have a moral responsibility to do so.

"We are tremendously fortunate - we do a job we love and the rewards are huge."

The 32-year-old admitted it had been "very difficult" to decide which organisations to support, but explained that the two charities England have selected to help "really stood out".

He explained: "Everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer and the work of Help for Heroes has touched us all."

Previous charity partners for the England squad have included Children's Hospices UK, WellChild, the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK and the PFA's charity initiatives.

The team have now decided to put their charity work on a more official footing.