800-mile stadium challenge runner explains why ending at St James Park has such meaning
Mark Carruthers interviews If U Care Share co-founder Matthew Smith just a few days before he starts his run from Bournemouth Vitality Stadium, via every Premier League stadium, to St James Park.
Mathew explains the importance to him of the challenge ending at the home of Newcastle United
Mathew explains the importance to him of the challenge ending at the home of Newcastle United
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hi, my name is Mark Crothers and I'm joined by a very special guest. It is If You Care Share
00:05co-founder Matthew Smith. Matthew is about to start something of an epic challenge to raise
00:10money for the foundation. He will be running from Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium to Newcastle United
00:16St James' Park via every other Premier League stadium. As far as I'm aware, I will be the first
00:23person that will be running the 24-25 season route and I think to these 20 clubs in the order as well.
00:30It's special to finish at St James' Park as well. As a Newcastle United fan we should
00:37bring that up. So the thought of finishing by the
00:42statues of Sir Bobby Robson, Jackie Milburn, Alan Shearer, finishing at the Gallaudet, it's a
00:47special moment or will be a special moment. Yeah, we've hopefully got some pretty
00:53exciting stuff planned with the club as well. But as a fan it's huge but I think also
01:04for me personally and the significance and the association I have for it with Dan.
01:14My first ever game was with my dad and Dan was Everton 6-2 and I was told don't think it's
01:21going to happen like this every game mind and they were right. But I think for me but also for
01:32kind of our community, our organisation, our family and when I say family I mean our If You
01:37Care Share family, to be able to bring this back to the North East is so special. I did often
01:46kind of get asked the question why am I doing national because most of our work is in the
01:52North East but I think what I want to highlight is throughout various different communities across
01:58this country we can come together through football to talk about a subject that we quite often don't
02:05talk about. But also I want to put a platform for the North East nationally of the significance
02:13and the impact that suicide has and we all know that in the North East or most of us know in the
02:18North East but I don't think elsewhere we necessarily know that so I want to be able
02:23to talk about that as well.