He says: “As an avid rugby player, I was very lucky in terms of injury and I barely missed a match. When I finished playing, to maintain my involvement I took up refereeing. I’m a member of the Manchester Society and referee at level 6, with most of my games in North West 1. Taking up running was a consequence of this as I needed to maintain a good level of fitness to handle these games.
“In the last few years, I have become aware of a couple of cases where players have received significant life changing injuries. I’ve also seen the great work that the foundation does, stepping in, at a moment’s notice to provide the support, both financial and emotional, that these players need on the long road ahead.
“I decided that during the 2018-19 season, I will do what I can to raise funds for the foundation so they can continue their good work into the future. As I travel round the clubs in the North West, I will be raising awareness of the IPF and promoting my run at the London Marathon in April 2019. Each Saturday, for training, I will run 10k in the morning (or referee a school match), referee a match in the afternoon, then run a further 5k round the pitch.”
You can donate towards John’s fundraising for the 2019 London Marathon at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pemboipf
Inspired to take on your own challenge to support injured players? Places are still available in the IPF’s 2019 Vitality London 10,000 and Prudential Ride London 100 events. Email
