Club legend John McGinlay will be representing Wanderers in support of ‘March of the Day’.
Former footballers Marcus Stewart and Stephen Darby are holding one of the biggest fundraising events for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation to raise awareness for motor neurone disease.
The three-day walk starts today and will cover a 175-mile route between Bradford City and Liverpool Football Club's Anfield.
It will raise awareness and funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation and the wider MND community.
The Foundation is co-named after Liverpool-born former footballer Darby who started his career at Anfield, played most of his games for Bradford and ended his career with Wanderers after being diagnosed with MND in 2018.
The 35-year-old has since been a tireless campaigner for the Foundation and the MND community and is joining forces with former Bristol Rovers, Ipswich, Huddersfield and Sunderland striker Marcus Stewart – who has also been diagnosed with the condition – to promote the march which will see the football community attacking MND in support of the Darby Rimmer Foundation.
Walkers will be wearing blue T-shirts in support of Stewart for the first part of the walk to Bolton and will then change into red T-shirts with Darby’s name on the back for the rest of the walk.
Former Wanderers’ striker and club ambassador McGinlay is one of a core group of people who will complete the whole walk in relay, while scores of ex-players and managers from clubs up and down the country will join in to offer their support for various legs.
The walkers will stop off at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, where they will be given lunch by Wanderers, around midday on Saturday as part of the section between Salford City and Bury FC.
McGinlay has also been sponsored by the Whites and will present a signed Wanderers’ first-team shirt to the Foundation to further aid their appeal.
More than 50 former players will join Stewart and Darby in support of the Darby Rimmer Foundation, including Chris Kirkland, Paul Scholes, Dominic Matteo, Jill Scott and Phil Parkinson – Darby’s former manager at Bradford.
The world of sport has been united in raising awareness for MND over recent years, with former rugby league player Kevin Sinfield completing an ultra-marathon challenge in December.
The event – called 7 in 7 in 7, with Sinfield running seven ultra-marathons in seven days in seven cities – raised more than £630,000 and was inspired by his former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Rob Burrow, who was also diagnosed with the condition in 2019.
To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/team/marchoftheday
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