Media centre

Thursday 3 Nov 2005

PHOTOCALL: TOP PREMIERSHIP PLAYERS JOIN NO MESSIN’! CAMPAIGN

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Date:               Wednesday 08 November 2005 Time:              2pm (players will arrive at 2:15pm for photos) Location:        Blackburn Rovers Football Club’s ground, Ewood Park Journalists and photographers are invited to the launch of Network Rail’s No Messin’! ‘Football in the Community’ programme, where top premiership footballers will be spelling out the dangers of playing on or around the railway. Gary Openshaw, General Manager (Preston) said: “We are extremely pleased that Andy Todd and Steven Reed from Blackburn Rovers are helping us to launch No Messin’! in the North West.  “They are both very popular players and we are confident young people will listen to the key safety messages about railway safety they will be delivering. Children often do not realise how dangerous playing on the railway is, so it vital that we can get these messages across.” No Messin’! aims to reduce railway crime across the country by offering children and young people an alternative to playing on the railway. Network Rail works in close partnership with football clubs that are hotspots for railway crime and our sponsorship will enable soccer schools to be held during the holidays when children are most likely to commit railway crime. This year Network Rail is working with Blackburn Rovers FC; Manchester City FC; Everton FC; Preston North End FC; Rochdale FC; Wrexham FC and Tranmere Rovers FC. Community coaches from each of these clubs and representatives from the Professional Football Association will also be at the launch. Our research shows that numbers of railway crime incidents are consistently falling but we continue to develop new initiatives to try to reduce these numbers further. Mr Openshaw added: “Railway crime lead to 60 deaths on the railway last year and some of these incidents would have involved children. This is 60 too many and as an industry we are constantly striving to bring this number down to zero.”