The Football League is asking fans to help them decide which charity The League should select to be its official charity partner for Season 2009/10. Five charities have been shortlisted - and the League is asking fans to vote online for the charity of their choice.

The shortlisted charities are:

· Care of Police Survivors (COPS)
· Everyman
· Help For Heroes
· Marie Curie Cancer Care
· The Bobby Moore Fund

Football League Chairman Lord Mawhinney said: "The Football League is committed to supporting good causes, especially those related to football and its supporters.

"We are delighted to be providing fans with the opportunity to have their say in the selection of our official charity partner for the 2009/10 season and encourage them to cast their vote via our website.

"Every one of the shortlisted charities represents a good cause that relates to football fans in and around our 72 clubs."

From the top two charities voted for by fans, the Board of The Football League will select the Official Charity Partner. The winning charity will be announced on Friday September 11, 2009.

Fans can register their vote by going to
http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/CharityVote/0,,10794~1778615,00.html


Voting closes on Wednesday September 9, 2009.

THE CHARITIES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES...


Care of Police Survivors
From Cup Final to friendly, police will be on hand to help football clubs provide a safe environment for our families to enjoy the match. Care Of Police Survivors (COPS) provides support to the families of police officers who die on duty. Please show your appreciation and support by voting for COPS.
www.ukcops.org


Everyman
Did you know that testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15-44 - just longer than the average career span of a footballer? Or that the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year would fill Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium? Everyman is dedicated to raising awareness of, and funds towards, our research into prostate and testicular cancer. A partnership with The Football League would provide Everyman with a perfect communication platform to speak directly to the men that these cancers are most likely to affect in a fun and light-hearted way. It's not nearly as complicated as the offside rule either. So by voting for us to be a partner of The Football League you could be helping us to help save your life so you can enjoy many more years of footy!
www.everyman-campaign.org


Help for Heroes
It's about the blokes, our men and women of the Armed Forces. It's about Derek, a rugby player who has lost both his legs. It's about Carl whose jaw is wired up so he has been drinking through a straw. It's about Richard who was handed a mobile phone as he lay on a stretcher so he could say goodbye to his wife. It's about Ben, it's about Steven and Andy and Mark. It's about them all. They are just blokes but they are our blokes; they are our heroes. We want to help our heroes. Help for Heroes provides direct and practical support for our injured service personnel. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people are currently "doing their bit" to help us for some incredible wounded heroes. People across the world have made a wonderful effort to raise money and we are enormously grateful to The Football league for considering to support our cause and make a difference to help our heroes.
www.helpforheroes.org.uk


Marie Curie Cancer Care
If someone you loved was dying of cancer and wanted to be at home, Marie Curie Nurses would make that possible. Marie Curie Nurses provide hands-on care, totally free, to give terminally ill people the choice to spend their last days at home with their loved ones. There are 2,000 Marie Curie Nurses working at the heart of local communities across the UK. As well as cancer patients, our nurses care for people with other terminal illnesses such as heart failure and dementia. We are only able to reach 1 in 4 families who need us - we need your help to reach more.
www.mariecurie.org.uk

The Bobby Moore Fund
Bobby Moore was quite simply an icon for many football fans and continues to live on in our memories as the only England captain to have won the World Cup. Bobby died at only 51 years old of bowel cancer - the second most common form of cancer in the UK. It's a disease that claims the lives of 44 people in the UK every single day but together we can do something about it. Our campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease to reduce the risk of people getting bowel cancer and improve the survival rates of those affected. We also hope to raise vital funds for bowel cancer research to reduce the number of people affected, improve detection of the disease, and find new and kinder treatments. Your support could help save thousands of lives.

www.cancerresearchuk.org/bobbymoorefund