WHYTE & MACKAY PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS PLAYERS ROCK OUT FOR EVERYMAN CHARITY
Today Whyte & Mackay announced an exciting new partnership that will aim to raise awareness and funds for the Everyman male cancer campaign throughout the upcoming 2010 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts tour.
A range of themed t-shirts have been launched that will be sold at every leg of the tour that starts on Thursday 11th February at The O2 arena in London and will visit 15 of the biggest arenas in the UK.
With the event selling out arenas usually reserved for the biggest bands in the music industry the top players in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) have put their own spin on classic music album covers proving that darts really is the new Rock n’ Roll!
Underlining that he was ‘Born in the P.D.C.’ Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor has re-created the iconic Bruce Springsteen ‘Born in the USA’ album cover and the top 6 players selected for the tour have followed in Madness’ footsteps to simulate the iconic ‘One Step Beyond’ pose.
Darts fans are also encouraged to ‘Choose Darts’ rather than Wham’s ‘Choose Life’ whilst Raymond van Barneveld gives his interpretation of the popular 80’s Frankie Goes to Hollywood phrase with his very own ‘Barney Says Relax’ t-shirts.
Proceeds from t-shirt sales, which are also available via www.sevenstardarts.co.uk, will go to the Everyman Campaign.
Fifteen time World Champion and four time Whyte & Mackay Premier League champion Phil Taylor said "I lost my father to prostate cancer and hopefully this campaign can help to raise awareness of the work that Everyman is doing.
"The t-shirts are fun but they have a serious message behind them - that cancer is a major illness but one that can be battled and overcome if detected early, and also with the help and support of charities like Everyman.
"In darts, we^ve seen Dennis Priestley successfully battle against prostate cancer in the last couple of years and that has meant a lot to me. Dennis has been a great rival but most importantly he^s one of my best friends, and seeing him recover has been incredible."
Phil McTeer, Head of Brands for Whyte & Mackay, said "Whyte & Mackay are delighted to announce this partnership with Everyman for the upcoming Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts tour. We expect that the t-shirts will be one of the hottest tour memorabilia items around this year as their sale not only raises awareness of the serious risk of cancer to the male population but it also provides funding to aid the important work done by our partners Everyman."
Everyman spokesman Jon Street added "Everyman is grateful for the support of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts tour in what promises to be a really exciting partnership. You only have to look at the size of the arenas that the Premier League Darts players fill to appreciate the impact and influence they have on their fans. We hope that this influence will encourage men to buy a t-shirt and not only support their favourite player but also show their support for Everyman and help raise vital funds for research into prostate and testicular cancer."
Notes
The 2010 Whyte and Mackay Premier League darts features the top 8 players in the PDC including Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade, Terry Jenkins, Mervyn King, Ronnie Baxter, Simon Whitlock and Adrian Lewis.
The tour will visit 15 venues across 14 cities: The O2 Arena, London (11th Feb); BIC, Bournemouth (18th Feb); Odyssey Arena, Belfast (25th Feb); Westpoint Arena, Exeter (4th March); MEN Arena, Manchester(11th March); Brighton Centre (18th March); NIA, Birmingham (25th March); CIA, Cardiff (1st Apr); SECC, Glasgow (8th Apr); Sheffield Arena (15th Apr); Liverpool Echo Arena (22nd Apr); AEC, Aberdeen (29th Apr); Metro Arena, Newcastle (6th May); Trent FM Arena, Nottingham (13th May); Wembley Arena, London (23rd May). Check www.pdc.tvfor ticket details.
Everyman is the UK leading male cancer campaign which raises awareness of, and funds research into testicular and prostate cancer. Prostate cancer has overtaken lung cancer to become the most common cancer in men, affecting more than 34,000 men every year in the UK. One man dies of prostate cancer in the UK every hour, a total of about 10,000 men a year. Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in men aged between 15 and 44, with about 2,000 cases a year in the UK. Incidence is increasing dramatically - by almost four-fold in the last 50 years. But thanks to advances made at Everyman, testicular cancer is 99 per cent curable if caught early, and with treatment the overall cure rate is 97 per cent. For more information, visit