English Players Playing for Free

The gang of Premiership (and soon MLS) millionaires that make up the England national team will be donating their international fees (£750 for a defeat, £1,000 for a draw, £1,500 for a win) to charity for the next three years. Yes, they can afford it, but still a nice gesture. They’ll effectively be playing for England for free.

Obviously the likes of John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen will still be pulling down juicy Premiership wages (and even Reading left back and recent international debutant Nickey Shorey won’t be going hungry anytime soon) but every penny of their international fees will go into the The Team England Footballers Charity, which will benefit various causes like children’s hospices, the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research and disadvantaged local football clubs (grassroots clubs, not Charlton Athletic.) Players will supplement their donations with personal appearances and further fundraising initiatives.

It’s great to see Premiership players (because that’s what the majority of the England team are) showing some awareness. The league is rife with moneygrabbing scallywags like Ashley Cole, golf-club swinging mentalists like Craig Bellamy and toilet-seat-stealing troublemakers like Glen Johnson. But this gesture, along with the successful May Day for Nurses, suggests that Premiership footballers aren’t all bad.

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Category: World Football