Manchester City’s Jill Scott, Manchester United’s Alessia Russo and Chelsea’s Niamh Charles have spent some time away from England training at St George’s Park this week to share their first-hand insights of dementia.
The trio have featured in a video for the Alzheimer’s Society which sees them discuss personal stories as part of the launch of a two-year partnership between the leading charity and The Football Association. In August this year, The Football Association announced the Alzheimer’s Society as it’s official charity partner. The partnership will use the sport’s unrivalled power and reach to increase support and generate significant funds and awareness of dementia, hoping to change how people experience the condition.
England teams are all lending their support to raise vital funds towards crucial support services, so the charity can reach more people. The Alzheimer’s Society’s services have been used more than six million times since March 2020 and have never been more needed. The partnership will also ensure that The Football Association and local football clubs can inform and refer employees, players, former players, and fans to the charity for dedicated dementia support.
Additionally, the partnership seeks to tackle the stigma surrounding the condition, so everyone can continue to enjoy attending football matches and playing football for longer. The Football Association will work with the Alzheimer’s Society to create a more dementia-friendly industry, setting a benchmark for other sports to follow. The partnership will benefit from Alzheimer’s Society’s ground-breaking Dementia Friends programme, changing the that way society thinks, acts, and talks about dementia – there are currently over 3.5 million members in the UK.
The Alzheimer’s Society will also act as an independent adviser to The Football Association on it’s own research and provide research expertise.
Three of England’s Lionesses have been discussing their experiences of the condition with the Alzheimer’s Society at St George’s Park this week.
Discussing the impact of dementia on her grandfather, Chelsea full-back Charles said “My grandad passed away with dementia when I was eight years old. I know he lost his independence, but all the stories I hear say how he was the life and soul of the family and always wanted to be out doing stuff.”
England teammate Russo added “My grandad also had Alzheimer’s, he actually passed away in 2017 so I was old enough to understand what was going on, but once you understand it and realise then it becomes quite daunting…his decline was quite rapid unfortunately and he completely lost his independence which was sad. He went into a care home and we went to see him once a week, but even in a week, you could see how different things were.”
Scott also commented by saying “That must be the hardest thing for families to go through, it’s unimaginable, so it’s really exciting that The FA is working with Alzheimer’s Society – the fundraising at games will be massive.”
Dementia deaths are rising year-on-year and 225,000 people will develop dementia this year – that’s one every three minutes. The number of people living with dementia would fill Wembley Stadium at least 10 times with many facing the disease without support. Funds raised by the partnership between the Alzheimer’s Society and The Football Association will go towards research into the cause, care, cure and prevention of all types of dementia and will assist with the growth of support networks. The leading charity are investing £50 million in the UK’s first dedicated Dementia Research Institute.
Commenting following the discussion between England stars Charles, Russo and Scott, Kate Lee, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Society said “It’s incredibly moving to see Niamh, Jill and Alessia starting these really important conversations about dementia. This devastating condition affects so many of us – 850,000 people are living with dementia in the UK right now, enough to fill Wembley stadium 10 times over. We are hugely grateful to the England Women’s team for shining a spotlight on it when people have never needed us more, and for The FA’s continued support in helping us raise crucial funds and awareness, so we can continue to support anyone affected by dementia.”
Dan Pentland, Editor of FAWSL Full-Time Magazine added “Dementia is a heart-breaking condition both for the person suffering from the illness and for their loved ones. My grandmother passed away just last year after battling dementia for the final three or four years of her life. Until the last couple of years, she got great enjoyment from watching football matches on the television, including games involving the Lionesses therefore I am delighted to see Niamh, Alessia and Jill starting conversations about dementia. We were fortunate that my grandmother’s condition was not as severe as many others, allowing her to end her days knowing that her family were by her side.
“Dementia is serious condition and one that has an impact on so many people’s lives. The partnership between the Alzheimer’s Society and The Football Association is hugely important in generating additional funds for the leading charity to continue their research into the condition and to allow them to provide continued support. I hope that fans of all England teams, including the Lionesses will dig deep and make a small donation to the charity.”
To find out more about the Alzheimer’s Society, visit alzheimers.org.uk. The Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Connect support line 0333 150 3456 is also available seven days a week, providing information and practical measures for people affected by dementia.
The Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading dementia charity. They provide information and support, fund research, campaign to improve care and create lasting change for people affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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