Yorkshire Cancer Research and Leeds United Surprise Children Affected by Cancer

A special group of children and young people enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience at Elland Road on Tuesday afternoon after they were surprised by three Leeds United players during a stadium tour.

The group of youngsters, who have all been affected by cancer, were invited by Yorkshire Cancer Research to take part in an exclusive treat alongside their loved ones.

Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Joe Gelhardt surprised the families as they posed for a pitch side photograph.

Kalvin said: “It’s been so nice to come and see the families. The kids have had some really tough moments with being involved or impacted by cancer in some way, so it’s nice to come and see them and put a smile on their faces.

“They didn’t know we were coming, and we were able to just jump in behind them and surprise them. I think every one of their smiles got two inches wider when they saw us coming.”

After meeting at the stadium in the afternoon, the group took part in a tour around the stadium which included visits to the changing rooms, the dugout area, Bremner Statue and Centenary Square before concluding the tour pitchside.

The children and their family members were then surprised by their three favourite players. Kalvin, Raphinha and Joe had stopped by to spend time with the deserving youngsters following their training session earlier in the day.

The Leeds United trio were on hand to chat with the families in attendance, taking photos with them, and signing autographs

Juliet Glendinning, Director at Yorkshire Cancer Research, added: “It’s fantastic that as the charity partner of Leeds United we were able to invite such deserving children and young people to a special tour of Elland Road, and surprise them with their favourite players.”

Yorkshire Cancer Research has been the official charity partner of Leeds United for the past two seasons, helping to support those affected by cancer and raise awareness of the world-leading research being funded across the region.