Arsenal join the fight against cervical cancer [Arsenal]

“IF not for yourself ­– do it for your family.”

That was the call from Arsenal star Leah Williamson this week as her team prepared to use their platform in the upcoming north London derby at the Emirates Stadium to promote a new public health message.

Dubbed ‘Defend Your Tomorrow’, the campaign aims to support the NHS goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040 by raising awareness of the disease and the NHS services that can potentially help to prevent it.

Launched by King’s Cross-based global biopharmaceutical company MSD UK in collaboration with gynaecological charity, The Eve Appeal, the campaign will see both Arsenal in the Community and the women’s side play their part in the coming year.

And in an exclusive interview with the Tribune, Arsenal co-captain Williamson said there had been “no question amongst the girls” to back the project when it was presented to them.

“We’ve been affected personally in the team by cervical cancer but also in each of our lives we all have an affiliation, unfortunately, with cancer in some way,” she added.

“Fortunately for my family, cervical cancer hasn’t been in our history. [But] my family members, when it comes to smears, check-ups, we would always do everything because if you have an opportunity to protect yourself then I hope people would, because it saves a lot of devastation and heartache.”

Williamson and several team mates, including fans’ favourite Beth Mead who recently lost her mother to ovarian cancer, have already filmed a promotional video for the campaign.

And when they host Tottenham on Sunday, Arsenal will take the message to the Emirates, where activities to encourage supporters to get more information by talking to their GP or clicking on the Defend Your Tomorrow website will be front and centre.

“I really hope this does change perspectives because I don’t think that people have the knowledge,” Williamson said.

“When you talk about cancer, you sort of see it as a bit of a pot luck situation, and actually this is something that we can really tackle.”

To eliminate the disease, the World Health Organisation states that countries should ensure 70 per cent of eligible women receive cervical cancer screening and 90 per cent of girls are vaccinated against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) by the age of 15.

Figures for 2023/24 show that coverage for cervical screening for women aged 25-64 in Camden was 50.5 per cent and in Islington 55.4. HPV vaccination rates in Camden for Year 9 girls were at 37.5 per cent, while in Islington it was 68.6 per cent.

[Arsenal]

This may, of course, not always be the easiest of healthcare subjects to discuss, but Williamson hopes that by getting involved, the players can open up the conversation.

“We have to hold the bigger perspective that would you rather five minutes of being uncomfortable or would you rather having to fight a disease that could in fact kill you?” she said.

“There is no shame, there’s nothing but wanting the best for yourself and then for the people around you by doing this.”

Over the next 12 months, Arsenal plan to deliver education sessions around the disease and its prevention, helping NHS England engage with communities who are “the least served and who need the most support”.

“We hope this campaign will reach the communities who are often left out of the health conversation,” said Athena Lamnisos, CEO of The Eve Appeal.

With more than 55,000 tickets already sold for Sunday’s hotly anticipated Women’s Super League clash with Spurs, Arsenal Women will get the chance to reach a wide audience.

Yet England’s Euros-winning captain has another reason for hoping for a bumper crowd on derby day – the boost it gives the women’s game.

“The Emirates gives so many more people an opportunity to come and watch us and that’s what we all want for the game,” she said.

“We didn’t have so many things for so long and now there is a genuine interest, it’s proven, people come out to watch us. You know, 90,000 at Wembley to watch the Euros final, 60,000 multiple times at the Emirates, the interest is there and people want it.

“I see my job is to play good football, attractive football that engages with the fans so they come back.”

Having been at Arsenal since the age of eight, Williamson has also seen the job her club has done in promoting her sport.

“Arsenal have taken on that responsibility very well,” she said. “We have gone into the unknown multiple times with ticketing and marketing, there are so many things that go into these games and we’re playing our part.

“It’s the direction we want women’s football to go in and it’s how we all see the future hopefully.”

Since last season, the Emirates has become Arsenal Women’s main home.

But as a lifelong Gooner who has sat up in the gods as a fan, including for Dennis Bergkamp’s testimonial in 2006 – the first match at the stadium – Williamson takes nothing for granted.

“We sat in those seats right up in the heavens, and I loved it,” she recalled.

“To then be on the pitch and experience it in a different way, I feel very grateful for that opportunity.

“But the thing that always gets me is, to be feeling so at home as women in that space says a lot to what the club has done and the fanbase and how they’ve taken to that change.”

The one thing she would change when she plays in Islington, however, is having to miss her family’s match day routine of a walk over from Highbury Corner or Finsbury Park Station and a bite to eat in a nearby cafe.

“I get jealous that my family still get to do the same routine to come and watch me and I can’t be involved in both,” she laughed.

“That would make things perfect if I could come and join them and go and play the game!”

To read more about the campaign, visit www.defendyourtomorrow.co.uk