10 October 2007

Footballers and nurses

I must admit to being pretty impressed by the efforts of Noreena Hertz, who once wrote a pretty useless book on globalisation, to convince Premier League footballers to donate a day’s pay to help nurses in financial hardship.

Unfortunately, the Royal College of Nursing is having trouble collecting the money from the footballers in question, who’s promises are proving about as reliable as government pledges of aid money: £200,000 has been collected, but that leaves £550,000 of outstanding promises yet to be collected.

Update: Not quite sure what to make of this quote, although my instinct isn’t really to feel sorry for Premiership footballers. “I am disgusted with the manner in which this campaign has gone about its fundraising. The players at this club support any number of local and national charities and good causes, either via financial support, giving up their own time or both. This is often done privately, meaning they neither receive nor ask for any public gratitude or praise. We invited Dr Hertz into the club to hear her appeal but we were already concerned by the way in which those who had not agreed to donate a day’s salary had been named and shamed in the national media. The campaign’s fundraising style has bordered on blackmail” - Gareth Southgate.

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