Huddersfield Town

Following on from the success of last season’s Organ Donation drive surrounding the Roses derby against Oldham Athletic, the Club will use the home game against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday 8 December to encourage supporters to sign up to the organ donation register.

Town stars Alex Smithies, Lee Novak and Scott Arfield are among five players to throw their weight behind the campaign alongside teammates Sean Scannell and Anthony Gerrard.

Others linked with Huddersfield Town – including former player Anthony Lloyd, Ticket Office Manager Sue Beaumont and Zone employee Lisa Hewitt – have been directly affected by the importance of Organ Donation in their lives and over the coming week we will revisit their experiences, as well as learn about the current relevance of Organ Donation for another Huddersfield Town employee, Hilary Horsfall.

Opponents Bolton Wanderers also have a high-profile link with Organ Donation; Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic, who played for the Trotters for almost three years before leaving for Germany in the summer, became the first player to participate in a major tournament (UEFA Euro 2008) after a transplant – he had a Kidney transplant in 2007.

This season the campaign is also being supported by Heart Research UK – another issue that will be very close to Bolton Wanderers given the highly publicised cardiac arrest their player Fabrice Muamba suffered on the pitch at Tottenham Hotspur in March 2012. 

Huddersfield Town Chairman Dean Hoyle encouraged fans to back the campaign:

"Supporting the Organ Donation drive is very important as it can make a massive difference to people directly affected. As a man with a family I would ask everyone to think about how it could affect you and the people you love and I would urge everyone that can to register their interest."

The Trust’s specialist nurse Jayne Greenhalgh added: “We could not have been more welcome at the last match and it is great to think all this increased awareness is now making a real difference and lives are being saved. The last time we were at the stadium Town were on a real roll and ended up promoted and we had a terrific response to our campaign. It was a great day.”

Since April, the Trust’s teams have supported five families in Halifax and Huddersfield through the donation process after losing their loved ones. As a result, more than 30 lives have been saved or enhanced. The Trust now has two honeycomb-shaped memorials for patients who have become donors in the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary entrance and close to A&E at Calderdale Royal Hospital.

There are currently more than 10,000 people across the UK who need an organ transplant. On average, three people a day die before they get a transplant simply because there are not enough organs available.

NHS staff will be around the ground on match day; please talk to them about organ donation and find out if it is for you.

Register your interest - text SAVE to 84118 for more information