Pompey are backing the work of The Sporting Memories Foundation at today’s match against Wigan.
The charity – who use the power of sport to support people suffering from dementia and memory loss – will be in the Victory Lounge from 2.30pm, offering fans the chance to win a signed Blues third shirt by entering a special ‘spot the ball’ competition.
The club’s goalkeepers will also be warming-up in special orange t-shirts prepared for the day.
Pompey stoppers Luke McGee and Alex Bass took time out from training on Thursday to add their support for the campaign with Angie Mills-Curtis from the charity – and Luke planted his cross where the ball would land.
He said: “I have looked at the reactions of the players and the way the faces are looking and I’m confident I’m right.”
This is the second year the club have supported this cause, after being approached by Manchester-based Pompey fan Andy Tysoe, who works for the charity.
He said: “The Memory Match theme is the iconic ‘spot the ball’ competition, where entrants had to guess the location of a removed ball from an action shot and draw a cross where they thought it was.
“If you fancy having a go yourself, visit the Sporting Memories stand in the Victory Lounge prior to the match with the chance to win a signed Pompey shirt! The lucky winner will be announced at half-time.”
Colin Farmery, the club’s head of inclusion and chair of the Pompey History Society, said: “I am so pleased to be working with Sporting Memories.
“At the history society we have done a lot of work with older people and recording their memories, and we hope to work with the charity in the future on further projects to support the excellent work they do.”
Co-founder of The Sporting Memories Foundation Tony Jameson-Allen added: “I am absolutely delighted and overwhelmed by the support of Pompey and Wigan for this fixture.
“What is really rewarding for us, is to see the appetite from those within the game to raise awareness of the work going on to support those people living with depression, dementia and loneliness.
“Ultimately what we want to do is to continue to show the importance of what sporting memory sessions can have in making a difference to people’s lives.”
By working with the clubs to create an awareness of this work on matchdays, Sporting Memories want to speak to football fans round the country if they have a family member, friend, or colleague who may want to get involved.
With more than 100 groups now set up around the UK, and with a newly placed group planned at Pompey, fans can get involved by volunteering and helping with a number of various initiatives.
Fans can check out some of the exciting projects and #jointhesquad by visiting www.sportingmemoriesnetwork.com