Get Involved with Red Card Cancer

Hello,

I want to thank you for taking the initiative to join us in our efforts to defeat the world’s biggest opponent.

Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way, and it is the stories and efforts of many individuals – like you – that are making Red Card Cancer such a success. Players, coaches, parents, and fans from across both the nation and the world are lending their support to help give cancer a red card.

This packet has been assembled to assist you in sharing Red Card Cancer with others in your community. Please visit the Red Card Cancer website for updates, and do not hesitate to reach out to our staff with any questions that you may have.
Good luck, and welcome to our team!

Paul Payne
Founder, Red Card Cancer
Head Coach, Men’s Soccer, Bloomsburg University
Past President, National Soccer Coaches Association of America

William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D.
Board Member, Red Card Cancer
Marion I. Knott Professor and Director,
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

Whether you are a parent or a player, a referee or a tournament director, getting involved in the fight to cure cancer is easy! Take a look at our event guide below to get some ideas, and remember that our dedicated staff is here to support you along the way!

The list below has been put together after several years of successfully engaging teams across the U.S. Some were original RCC concepts, but many were the innovative ideas of those who wished to add something a little extra to their own event(s).
From the list below, choose what you would like to include in your event(s):

• Place donation buckets on a table by the main entrance where fans, parents, and media can contribute donations. We also encourage that these buckets be passed around the stands during halftime by a designated volunteer.
• Hand out Red Card Cancer flyers at the entrance gate.
• Order official Red Card Cancer gear from our online store to sell and/or give out at your event. Participants in the past ordered a number of Red Card Cancer shirts and gave them away via a raffle during halftime.
• Create a Public Address announcement about your event if a PA system is available.
• Gain support from coaches and players. Have team members purchase shirts to show their support during pregame warm-ups. Reach out to opposing teams as well and ask for their participation.
• Get local businesses involved. Ask them if you can hang a Red Card Cancer poster in their venue. Furthermore, ask if they want to support your efforts with a kind donation.
• Encourage participants to ‘like’ Red Card Cancer on Facebook.
• Have players pledge per assist, per goal scored, or per save made.
• Have players, parents, school faculty, and staff pledge X amount for every win or shutout your team records during the season.

Soccer is all about being creative. We encourage participants to brainstorm and think up some ideas of their own that would enhance their Red Card Cancer event. If it proves to work effectively, let us know and we will add it to the Recommended Activities list for future participants to use. Don’t hold back! Any idea is a good idea for RCC!

The next step involves choosing the dates/duration over which your event(s) will take place.

Some common durations for events include:

• One home game
• Two home games
• Entire month of October
• Entire season

The form is located on this page, or you can go to www.RedCardCancer.org/pages/forms/register and fill out the form so we can learn more about your efforts and help in any way possible.

This step is optional, but highly encouraged. Press coverage for RCC events has helped the program to reach new heights. Many participants have integrated some sort of press and media coverage into their RCC event. These types of coverage include:

• A brief story on a school website.
• A publication in a school newspaper.
• Preparing a press release for distribution to a local, regional, or statewide newspaper.
• Hanging posters for the event around the community or school.
• Inviting people to an RCC event via Facebook.
• Joining RCC on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

Sample Press Release

On November 8th, the Sharpsburg High School soccer teams decided to take on an even bigger goal – curing cancer. Partnering with Red Card Cancer, a program that unites the global soccer community together towards finding a cure, the event raised over $4,000 towards cancer research.

Working together, the boys’ and girls’ teams hosted two Red Card Cancer matches, and players from both teams raised funds by bringing in pledges made by members of the community. Sales of wristbands and t-shirts took the team’s efforts one step further, bringing them to their impressive grand total and helping to spread the word about Red Card Cancer to the local community.

Thanks to the initiative of the Sharpsburg High School soccer players, as well as that of the community supporters who pledged funds towards their efforts, we are one step closer to defeating the world’s biggest opponent.

With the guidance we’ve included in this playbook combined with your own ideas, it’s now time to begin hosting your event(s). Good luck!

Contact us if you have any questions during the process 🙂

Please follow the steps below after your event is completed:

• Count total funds raised.
• Mail funds to designated address or make online donation of the same amount.
• Optional but encouraged—implement additional press coverage to showcase the success of your event and to tell your community what you have done to fight cancer. See above section Implementing Press Coverage for recommended press release options.