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Football Association of Wales (FAW) chief executive, Noel Mooney, became the latest football fan to join an army of local lifesavers after giving blood for the first time in Wales.
Noel’s donation was one of almost 1,000 made through the ‘Blood, Sweat and Cheers’ campaign, initially launched in 2020.
The campaign was the first-ever FAW community partnership, designed to encourage football fans from the JD Cymru Leagues and Genero Adran Leagues to support their local communities by giving blood.
The campaign has already potentially saved almost 3,000 lives across Wales and continues to grow with the introduction of the 64 teams across the Ardal Leagues and the second season of the WBS league cup.
The Welsh Blood Service needs to collect up to 100,000 blood donations each year, and the campaign has supported the goal of signing up new blood donors across the country. With around 1,400 donation sessions at over 200 venues across Wales, there are plenty of opportunities for fans to find their nearest donation session. Supporters aged 17 to 30 can also consider joining the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, to potentially help patients in their fight against blood cancer.
Reflecting on the partnership, Noel said, “I’m thrilled to see that the campaign continues to go from strength to strength.”
“This is a huge football community effort, one which the FAW and the Leagues are extremely proud to be part of, and we are looking forward to working with the Welsh Blood Service as the new season kicks off.”
From start to finish, the process of donating takes less than one hour, with the actual blood donation lasting only five to ten minutes, but for someone in need, that one donation can last a lifetime as there is no substitute for blood.
Following his donation, Noel toured our Talbot Green facility and spoke to WBS Director, Alan, who thanked Noel and everyone involved in making the campaign a huge success.
Before joining the FAW in August 2021, former League of Ireland goalkeeper Mooney spent the past ten years with UEFA, most recently as Head of Strategic Development, having previously held roles in marketing after joining from the Football Association of Ireland.
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