The former Huddersfield Town goalie, and current BBC Radio Leeds sports commentator, Matthew Glennon has publicly announced his support for the ‘Blow the Whistle’ campaign.
Mr Glennon currently works on BBC Radio Leeds, providing a summary for the Huddersfield Town home matches. With an affiliation to 16 clubs Mr Glennon has experience spanning over a 22-year career in football.
He said: “I’ve been aware of domestic violence [surrounding football] ever since I started my professional career. Certain fans wear it as a badge of honour… It’s a very small minority, but that minority are very, very loud.”
The former goalkeeper has now decided to use his platform to promote the ‘Blow the Whistle’ campaign as he believes abuse in the realm of football is a problem which the entire nation needs to concern itself with.
Mr Glennon said: “It’s a nationwide problem, again it’s a very small minority who act out – but even one is too many. The relationship between domestic violence and football needs to be discussed and people need to be aware of what they can do to combat it.”
Concerned by the statistic generated by the South Yorkshire Echo that assaults causing injury related to domestic violence increased by 1488% at the last world cup, the sport commentator adds:
“During this world cup coming up, the last thing we need is more violence, more trouble and more upset relationships. I think the world is in a place where it needs a lot more kindness
“We all love football; We all love sport. The winning, the excitement and losing come along with any kind of sport, but it should never impact families and relationships.”
Find a link to the Blow the Whistle fundraiser here.
