Football fans have their eyes on a charity goal inspired by one of their own.

Supporters of Maltby Main FC are raising money for Lewy Body Society after one of the club’s most faithful servants was diagnosed with the disease.

Lewy body dementia is the second most common form of dementia in older people but is still relatively unknown. Its symptoms are quite different to other types of dementia so it is frequently misdiagnosed.

David Watts, vice chairman and treasurer at the team near Rotherham in South Yorkshire, is hoping to increase awareness of the disease for a good friend of the club.

John Mills, 72, is a stalwart of Maltby Main, nicknamed The Miners, from playing for the team a handful of times in the 70s, volunteering since the 90s, washing the kit to part-time treasurer and then club secretary. “He’s probably even managed the club at some point when they had nobody else!” joked David.

David, a building surveyor with Doncaster Council, said: “When I moved upwards and started as vice chairman six or seven years ago, the chairman immediately told me to work alongside John with the view to taking over one day and learning from him the Secretary job. Once I’d picked that up, we could then transfer duties to me to take pressure off John in a way that would help him and the club.

“We had already noticed things weren’t right with him and had to deal with it sensitively”.

“John’s quite a funny bloke, one of those who throws a one-liner. He would hear somebody say something and he’ll chuck a sentence in to make that funny and it always landed. But he just wasn’t interacting with the banter as much.”

Millsy, as he is known by all in the North East Counties division, is now cared for at a dementia unit at Rotherham Hospital after he became too unwell to remain at home with his wife Anne.

Still a huge figure at the club and keen to hear results for his beloved team, David makes sure he drops in a match day programme and John occasionally manages to attend a match with his daughter Katie.

Lewy body dementia is a complex and challenging disease that affects memory, thinking, movement, sleep and behaviour.

David said: “At the football club we have a charity each season. Last year was Parkinson’s UK, which John was diagnosed with prior to being told he had Lewy body dementia. I was totally naïve about what it was, I think lots of people think dementia means Alzheimer’s but Lewy bodies is so different. When I read about all the symptoms it was very clear he had it and he had finally been diagnosed correctly.

“We are hoping to raise £500 for Lewy Body Society and more awareness about the disease. We have a big bucket at the ground that’s getting fuller each home game!”

David is also being sponsored to run the same distance as ‘The Miners’ will travel to their 21 away games in the Northern Counties East League Division One over the 24/25 season.

With opponents as far away as Louth in Lincolnshire, he will have to put in more than 1,000km before next summer.

Jacqui Cannon, CEO of Lewy Body Society, said: “We are tackling the misconceptions about Lewy body dementia every day with the help of people like David. The team spirit on and off the pitch at Maltby Main is incredible and we are looking forward to seeing David’s results at the end of the season.  Whatever happens on match days, it is a win for people living with Lewy body dementia and their families. Thank you to everyone involved.”

Support Maltby Main FC’s fundraising efforts here.

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