Football fans urged to give someone some extra time by registering their organ donation decision

People across the country are being encouraged to support England on and off the pitch this World Cup season, by registering their organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register in the break between matches.

The rallying plea is being made as it is revealed that, in England, 1,365 people have died waiting for an organ since the whistle was blown to mark the end of the last World Cup in December 2022. In the same period, 16,417 people across the UK have been added to the transplant waiting list – an increase of 23% – but the number of donors has increased by just 2%.

The transplant waiting list is currently at its highest ever level.

It's also being revealed that England sits bottom of the league when it comes to organ donation, sitting below Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the proportion of the population registered to donate their organs upon their death.

The country is also one of the lowest ranking – sitting below World Cup rivals Scotland – when it comes to the rate of donation, despite having the second highest rate of eligible donors. Donation will only go ahead when families support it doing so.

Families will agree to donation around 90% of the time when their loved one has confirmed their intention to donate on the NHS Organ Donor Register. This figure drops to around 50% when a decision is unknown.

Kelly's story

Kelly Bossons, 32, from Mansfield, made the decision, with family, to donate her fiancé Jordan Sinnott’s organs when he died in January 2020. Jordan, 25, was a professional footballer, playing for Matlock Town at the time of his death. He died after being attacked on a night out.

Kelly says: "Choosing to donate Jordan's organs just made sense. He’d confirmed his organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register a few times throughout his life, which made the decision easy for us but it also seemed a waste if we didn’t do it, knowing that he could save a life.

"After donation had gone ahead, we saw a helicopter leaving the hospital, heading to one of Jordan's recipients, with the very organ that they needed to get better and it really brought it home just how much our decision would mean to somebody else. We later found out he saved 7 lives – and helped others through donated tissue – which is just incredible that even after his death, he was able to give something so important to so many people. He'd have been very proud.

"I don’t think many people realise – we certainly didn’t – that there are only really specific circumstances in which you can donate. It's just 1% of deaths. So when you are in that position to be able to help one of the thousands of people waiting, it really is something quite special. Donation can sound scary but as a donor family, you’re treated so well. We were treated with care and compassion and carefully guided through every step of the process, which made it so much easier.

"Football was Jordan's life and I know he would be behind this message asking people to take 2 minutes out of their day during this World Cup season to do something he himself had done a number of times and confirm your donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. It makes a difficult time and a difficult choice so much easier for your loved ones and of course, can save up to nine lives."

Harry's story

Harry Lockley, 24, from Towyn, North Wales, was diagnosed with Alport Syndrome at 5-years-old and started dialysis in April 2023. He had a kidney transplant in October 2023, 10 months after the last World Cup ended. He now plays for the England transplant football team - last year, the team won the transplant European Championship and in September, they’ll challenge for World Cup glory.

Harry says: “When organ donation is described as a second chance at life, there are no truer words. Since my transplant, I have been given the opportunity to return to a normal life and live like every 24-year-old lad should – and I’m also to represent my country, both things I never thought possible and will be forever grateful for.

"I was a semi-professional footballer for a long while and when I got really ill and had to give it up, I was devastated – it was my passion and I thought I'd never play again. So finding the England transplant team after I received my kidney, was incredible. Each member of the team has been lucky enough to receive the gift of life. We are all living proof of the power of organ donation and how a decision that takes two minutes to confirm, can change somebody’s life forever.

"As we're supporting the lads in the World Cup this Summer and playing in the transplant World Cup this September, we will all be acutely aware of just how lucky we are to be there – there are many who are still waiting for their transplant. The transplant waiting list is the longest it has ever been and without more donors, there will be people who, really sadly, don’t receive that precious gift.

"Without my donor and their family, I would not be here, it is that simple. I cannot thank them enough and I hope that the decision they made and me sharing my story now can inspire more people to register and help save even more lives. Please, as you're watching the World Cup this summer, take two minutes to confirm your donation decision. You could change up to nine lives like mine."

Martyn's story

Martyn Jackson, 31, from Wigan, a former semi-professional footballer, who played for Manchester United's academy as a teen, had a heart transplant at Wythenshawe Hospital in November 2024, after suddenly falling ill six weeks earlier. A virus had caused his heart to swell, which stopped it from working as it should. He now plays for the England transplant football team, alongside Harry.

Martyn says: "One day in October, I felt a bit off and went to the doctor. Little did I know that that night I’d be admitted to hospital, be in a coma for two weeks and just 6 weeks after seeing my GP, I’d have had a heart transplant. I was only 30 and I was healthy – I was playing non-league football, keeping myself fit and had just got married six months earlier. I was planning for Christmas, not a heart transplant.

"My condition was so severe that I was placed on the super urgent list and only needed to wait 11 days for a heart – but they were 11 of the longest days of my life. I’m lucky I got one and I’m also lucky that I recovered well but I know thousands of people are waiting for their transplant and have been doing so for years – and the only way we can help that, is by more people confirming their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

"The last time the World Cup was on, I went to so many different viewing events, right across Manchester. This year will look a bit different – I’m still immunosuppressed so I can’t join the crowds, but I will be supporting the team from home. I'm just glad I'm here and able to watch the tournament – and then hopefully play in the transplant World Cup, too. It so easily could have been very different for me and I am eternally grateful to the family that made that difficult decision that means that I am still here today.

"Organ donation isn't something I ever thought of before I had a heart transplant. I hope that my story shows people that you never know when it could be you who will need that organ – and that most of us would accept it if we needed it. So it makes sense that we think about donation, too. Donation saved my life, it saved the life of my football teammates and it saves the life of so many people every year. Please, think about what your donation decision would be and then confirm it – you'd be doing something truly lifesaving."

Statement from NHS Blood and Transplant

Anthony Clarkson, Director of Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, says:

"While we're all cheering on the three lions and hoping they bring it home, there is another way we can all support England – and get us to the top of a table - and that's by confirming your donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.

"The fact that almost 1,400 people have died while waiting for an organ transplant since the end of the last World Cup, less than four years ago and that over 16,000 people have been added to the transplant waiting list, is a travesty. If we all come together as a team, we can work towards the goal of more people getting the transplant they so desperately need.

"So, come on England - as you enjoy the World Cup this Summer, take 2 minutes before or after a game, or during half time, to search NHS Organ Donor Register and confirm your decision. Doing just that could save up to 9 lives – that's almost a full starting 11 of people whose lives could be saved because of that one decision you make now."