Sunderland AFC and Ipswich Town will come together on the opening weekend of the Sky Bet Championship season to raise funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.
A former Black Cat and Tractor Boy, Marcus Stewart was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last September and he will be the Club’s guest of honour at the Stadium of Light.
The 50-year-old, who made over 100 appearances for the Lads and scored 34 goals, was a Championship title winner in red and white during the 2004-05 season.
Following his diagnosis last year, #TeamStewart has raised over £311,000 for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, which was which was founded by former Liverpool and Bradford City defender Stephen Darby – the partner of former SAFC Women and England Lionesses player Steph Houghton.
A programme of activity is scheduled for the Club’s opening fixture of the season to raise awareness and generate donations for the foundations, including a pre-match talk-in with Marcus in the Montgomery Suite.
Stewart commented: “As soon as I saw this fixture, my eyes lit up. When Louise, my wife, spoke to Tony, who was my captain at Ipswich, about doing an MND awareness day, he couldn’t have supported it and us more. Tony’s always been a class act and that has showed in his response. This will be the first time I’ve been back to Sunderland since I left, and I can’t wait to hear the crowd again. Sunderland and Ipswich are the two clubs that I had the most success with as a player, gaining promotion to the Premier League with both. What a way to raise awareness for MND with a full house at the Stadium of Light and the game being on Sky Sports. I just want to thank everyone for their continued support on and off the pitch.”
Head Coach Mowbray said: “On a personal note, I’m very proud of anything that we can do as a Club to support Marcus and his family. We wore some t-shirts last season that Louise kindly sent up to us, but to raise awareness for MND on opening day in front of the TV cameras will hopefully have a real impact. Marcus loves football and he was a wonderful player – a great finisher with great movement – and as a former team-mate of his, I feel it’s important to continue supporting those you played with through good times and bad. I’m delighted we can dedicate Sunday’s game to Marcus and to raising awareness for MND.”
Stewart’s family and friends will also be undertaking the #TEAMSTEWART254 Cycle Challenge in October, which will see fundraisers travel to all seven of Marcus’ former clubs.
Travelling over 900km across two legs – Sunderland to Ipswich and Bristol City to Bristol Rovers via Exeter City and Yeovil.
Ipswich Town have also been raising funds throughout pre-season, with £2 of every home shirt sold in July being donated to the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.
Fans can donate to the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation now by text – simply text DRMND followed by the amount you want to donate to 70085.
For example, to donate £10, text "DRMND 10" to 70085.