Cardiff City Fan With Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Calls For Welsh Stadiums To Support Men Who Live With Incontinence In BBC Morning Live Film

National programme, hosted by Kym Marsh highlights new drive to get football fans Back in the Game as new study shows incontinence causing men to miss live matches
New study by Prostate Cancer UK and Caerphilly‑based phs Group shows men lonely due to missed match days
Manchester United and Pompey sign up to the BOG STANDARD to support men with incontinence – but no Welsh clubs are currently signed up

A lifelong Cardiff City fan with stage four prostate cancer is calling for Welsh stadiums to support men who live with incontinence, in a BBC Morning Live film aired recently.

BBC Morning Live featured the story of true‑blue Cardiff City fan, 57‑year old Mark Lewis, in an eight‑minute film broadcast on BBC 1. The film is introduced by BBC presenter Kym Marsh, who’s father died of prostate cancer in early 2024.

Mark, who has stage four prostate cancer, is leading the charge in a national campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer and the need for incontinence bins in public for men who have had life‑saving treatment. In Wales, 2,571 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer every year on average between 2019 and 2021[1].

The programme aired following the recent news that Manchester United has signed up to be the Premier League’s first Gold BOG STANDARD club. This means Old Trafford’s washrooms are fully kitted out with incontinence bins, have male incontinence products on offer, and actively raise awareness of incontinence and prostate cancer. No Welsh clubs are currently signed up to provide sanitary bins for men.

Mark Lewis, who lives in Merthyr and travels to every home game, said: “It’s hard to believe how much it affects you until you’ve been through it yourself. Everything revolves around the toilet. Depression can really set in because you can’t do the things that you want to do.

“I’m a Cardiff City season ticket holder, and there’s a gang of us who go down to the games together. Nothing stops me going to see Cardiff City, I’ll be there by hook or by crook, but things could be made much easier for men like me. It’s totally changed my life. We used to go for a full day out and really enjoy ourselves, but now I just get there to watch the game and get back again.”

The Back in the Game campaign includes new research which reveals football fans across the UK are missing out on attending live matches because of incontinence.

The new study, Back in the Game*, shows these mass match day absences come at a cost to fans’ mental and social health, while clubs and communities lose out on valuable income. Due to not feeling able to attend any games many men have lost their confidence (62%), feel a part of their identity is missing (42%), and are increasingly lonely (28%). Communities lose out on an average of £80 spent per fan per game at the club and surrounding area**.

Co‑authored by Prostate Cancer UK and phs Group, lead partners of the Dispose with Dignity campaign, the statistics show that since becoming incontinent, one in seven (14%) male football fans who experience urinary incontinence (UI) have blown the full‑time whistle on attending matches and half (50%) say they now attend fewer games.

The vast majority of fans (74%) say having urinary incontinence simply puts them off attending games. Three in five (62%) are anxious about leaking on match day, while a lack of sanitary bins to dispose of products used to manage their condition is a worry for one in five (20%).

One in eight men will get prostate cancer. Men over 50, Black men, or men who have a father or brother who have had prostate cancer are at an even higher risk. Urinary incontinence is a side effect of life‑saving prostate cancer treatment for lots of men. As many as two thirds (65%) who receive treatment for prostate cancer will become incontinent, some for a few weeks, months or years, and others may live with the condition forever.

The Back in the Game report also shows that as a result of not feeling able to attend any games or live sporting events because of incontinence – or having to cut down on how often they go – many men have lost their confidence (62%), feel a part of their identity is missing (42%), and are increasingly lonely (28%).

Mark Lewis was recently featured in a Cardiff City matchday programme, for his efforts walking to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK via their Prostate United initiative. Mark has so far raised £3,605 by walking 216km, mainly in his local area with his dog Rosie, who has become somewhat of a local celebrity.

Mark continued: “The facilities at Cardiff are great, but the cubicles are always busy, there’s always a queue and it’s a stress getting to the loo and you do feel a bit self‑conscious queuing. When you do get in and change your incontinence pad or stoma bag, there’s no sanitary bin in the loos. Your only option is to carry it out with you and put it in the waste bins where the cups and the food are. It isn’t ideal but what can you do?

“I just need a sanitary bin, it’s not much to ask for and it would make things easier and much less stressful. When you’re living with cancer, football is a lifeline for you, and for anyone isolated by incontinence. Football makes you feel normal, makes you forget your troubles and feel a part of something. We need sanitary bins for men with incontinence, so that we can all get back in the game.”

This is why Prostate Cancer UK and phs Group are asking organisations to implement minimum standards to support men with incontinence – called The BOG STANDARD. The BOG STANDARD would mean men can visit football stadiums knowing toilets will have male incontinence bins and products, such as pads.

Nick Ridgman, head of support services, Prostate Cancer UK says: “Men who need to dispose of their incontinence pads often have no access to a sanitary bin in male toilets and a lot of men are too anxious to leave home as a result.

“Manchester United’s commitment to supporting men with incontinence is a fantastic step forward and we hope their action will inspire change across the whole football community, from the top of the Premier League to local non‑league games. By giving men access to the basic facilities they need, we hope more men will feel confident to get back in the game and back to watching live football matches unhampered by their incontinence.

“If you need confidential support or information about living with incontinence, you can get in touch with our Specialist Nurses on 0800 074 8383, or via email, webchat or WhatsApp at prostatecanceruk.org/nurses.”

Steve Rider, the broadcaster and sports presenter who himself has had prostate cancer, says: “I’m a proud supporter of Prostate Cancer UK and a very grateful survivor of prostate cancer. But it can bring its own inconveniences, including incontinence, and getting through an eight‑hour live TV broadcast is certainly a bit more of a challenge for me now.

“For other people, incontinence can become a real social barrier. Imagine going to watch your local football team, you’re halfway through the second half and suddenly you feel the need to get rid of something a bit more substantial than your season ticket. The ability to do that hygienically, with security and dignity, is so important. And that’s why I’m a strong supporter of the Back in the Game initiative to get clubs up to the BOG STANDARD, to enable men to live a better life.”

Men say they could be tempted back to live games, if the facilities are right, stating they are more likely to attend if there are:

Male incontinence bins 62%
Vending machines for products 53%

A Cardiff City Fan outside his club's stadium

Matthew Brabin, chief executive officer at phs Group, and lead partner of the Dispose with Dignity campaign said: “We commissioned the Back in the Game research because we know football can be a catalyst to change the narrative in a powerful way.

“Football is a way of life for many men; it’s a staple in their social calendar; what binds them to their community, a part of their identity and who they are. Having to sit out match days due to a lack of facilities and anxiety about leaving the house will undoubtedly be influencing men’s mental health, at a time when they really need support.”

“As a business that puts people at the heart of its products and services, our aim has always been to raise awareness of prostate cancer and male incontinence, eliminate taboos and start a national conversation to get men the support and facilities they deserve. To have a club like Manchester United sign up and lead the way is an enormous honour, and we hope to see more clubs sign up to support men with prostate cancer.”