Club News

Albion wear pink for Organ Donation Week 30th anniversary

Mark Miles, Carlos Corberán and Jed Wallace pose for a photo with a pink Albion shirt with members of the Birmingham Adult Transplant Sport Team

Albion will celebrate the gift of life and support the 30th anniversary of Organ Donation Week by donning their pink kit for the trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (ko 12.30pm). 

Organ Donation Week runs from Monday, September 23 to Sunday, September 29, with the aim of raising awareness of organ donation by asking people to “go pink”.

Almost 60,000 lives have been saved since the NHS Organ Donor Register was created in 1994.

Registering your decision to become an organ donor will help to save even more lives, with 7,600 people currently in need of an organ transplant. 

Albion kicked off Organ Donation Week by inviting members of the Birmingham Adult Transplant Sport Team to the club’s training ground, with Head Coach Carlos Corberán, skipper Jed Wallace and Managing Director Mark Miles on hand to help promote the campaign. 

Carlos Corberán and Jed Wallace hold a pink Albion shirt up with several members of the Birmingham Adult Transplant Sport Team

Dr Kieran Donnelly, a Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia at Sandwell and West Bromwich Hospitals Trust, said: “We are absolutely delighted that our local team is spreading the message as part of national organ donation week. 

“By wearing pink on Saturday Albion are doing a really fantastic thing for the community and healthcare in this country. 

“More than 7,000 people are currently on a waiting list for a transplant in the UK, including 250 children. Sadly, some of those people never get a lifesaving or life-changing transplant and historically the local area has a low consent rate compared to the national average, although this is improving.

“I urge everyone to consider donating their organs and then discuss this with their friends and family before, hopefully, registering to become a donor online.”

Dr Kieran Donnelly, a Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia at Sandwell and West Bromwich Hospitals Trust, in a suit
Dr Kieran Donnelly

Albion Managing Director, Mark Miles, who registered to become a donor on Monday, added: “We are proud to be supporting Organ Donation Week. 

“Our engagement with local hospitals on this subject has grown in recent years and we are delighted to help further support their campaign by wearing pink for our televised fixture at Sheffield Wednesday. 

“We are hopeful that by raising awareness of Organ Donation Week we will encourage people to consider this very personal decision.”

Albion Managing Director Mark Miles looks at a phone with a member of the Birmingham Adult Transplant Sport Team