The initiative sees Dale become the latest football club to install specially designed sanitary bins for men to cater for those with incontinence, many of whom may have been treated for prostate cancer.
Ahead of our match against Crawley Town at the weekend, Tobi Adebayo-Rowling and Dale Director Richard Knight joined Jez Williams of phs Group for a photo to announce the news.
Richard commented: “Inclusion is important to us at the Club, and we didn’t ever want to think of any of our fans being unable to join, just because we didn’t have sanitary bins in place for them.
“As someone who has experienced prostate cancer myself, I know how important it is to get back into the swing of things after your treatment.
“Seeing your friends; meeting up with family; going to games – it all helps recovery. That’s why supporting the Back in the Game campaign, and our loyal fans, is important to us – whatever we can do to make things easier.”
One in eight men will get prostate cancer, rising to one in four in Black men. Of these men, 60% will go on to experience incontinence as a side effect of life-saving prostate cancer treatment. This means they will need to wear incontinence pads and use sanitary bins to dispose of pads hygienically in public.
The Crown Oil Arena has a capacity of over 9,000. This means that, if every seat was taken up by a man, statistically at least 1,100 men could be diagnosed with prostate cancer, with a further 769 of these men likely to need support with incontinence issues as part of their recovery.
Despite these startling figures, few public organisations are set up to care for men with incontinence, but this won’t be an issue for men at Rochdale AFC. We have installed 26 specially designed incontinence bins for men (big enough to fit male incontinence products) across its male toilets.
By supporting men and implementing these measures, Dale have signed up to The BOG STANDARD – the minimum standards that Prostate Cancer UK and hygiene services provider phs Group are asking organisations to implement to cater for men with incontinence.
The BOG STANDARD Charter is a tiered accreditation, which allows clubs to make the minimum commitment to men, and then build towards the Gold BOG STANDARD rating.
- Bronze – installation of sanitary bins – the minimum BOG STANDARD accreditation, which we have been awarded.
- Silver – installation of sanitary bins and male incontinence products, to support men who may be caught without while out and about
- Gold – implementation of the above, and a commitment to promoting prostate cancer and incontinence awareness.
A total of 177 sport clubs of all sizes all across the UK have now signed up to The BOG STANDARD, with a total of 873 specially designed sanitary bins for men installed as part of the Back in the Game campaign, which aims to get men back watching the live sports that are a huge part of who they are.
Across the UK, 2,172 number of organisations have signed up to the BOG STANDARD, and 24,000 bins have been installed by phs Group. phs Group is the only hygiene provider that offers bins designed specifically for male incontinence products.
Matthew Brabin, CEO of phs Group said: “Sport is an incredibly important part of so many men’s lives. At a time when men need to be getting back into the normal rhythm and social structure of their lives, perhaps after receiving prostate cancer treatment, too many men are too anxious to leave the house, because the right facilities aren’t there for them. This is what Back in the Game is trying to change, and we’re so pleased to see Rochdale AFC join the fight by signing up to The BOG STANDARD Charter.”
phs Group is the UK, Ireland and Spain’s leading hygiene services provider, and has been working with Prostate Cancer UK, the leading men’s health charity, since 2023, to campaign for better facilities for men with incontinence as a part of their Dispose with Dignity scheme.
Prostate Cancer UK is the largest public funder of prostate cancer research in the UK and has invested over £120 million into research that has made diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer safer and more accurate than ever before. The charity has also helped tens of thousands of men campaign for change, sharing their stories to influence policymakers, and advocating to fight health inequalities, raise lifesaving awareness, and improve access to treatments and support that improve men’s lives and create a brighter future for men living with and after the most common cancer in the UK; prostate cancer.
Nick Ridgman, Head of Support Services at Prostate Cancer UK, said:
“Imagine not being able to support your team from the stands because you can’t access basic facilities. One in three men over 65 live with urinary incontinence, and many of them need sanitary bins so they can dispose of their used pads discreetly and hygienically, but often these bins are nowhere to be found in men’s loos. It’s causing men stress and shame, and keeping them from doing the things they love, like going to the football.
“We’re proud to team up with phs Group on the BOG Standard campaign to improve men’s lives – and we’re delighted that Rochdale AFC has joined us, making the ground more welcoming and accessible for every supporter.
“We wholeheartedly support the Back in the Game initiative and hope to see the UK government supporting our call to change HSE guidance. This is the only way we can ensure men will have access to a male sanitary bin if they’re using toilets in public spaces.
“Prostate Cancer UK is here for every man who’s navigating prostate cancer. If you need any support or information, you can talk to our Specialist Nurses on 0800 074 8383 or via our website.”
For more information about Back in the Game, go to phs.co.uk/backinthegame.
