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.
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.
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 six 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.”
To find out more, and to register an organ and tissue donation decision, visit organdonation.nhs.uk, call 0300 123 23 or use the NHS app.