90-minutes for Cookie DONATE - PLAY - NOMINATE

Football has always been about more than just what happens on the pitch.
It’s about the people in it : the teams, the friendships, the communities built around it.
For those of us involved in the game, it’s easy to take for granted the simple privilege of being able to play, to turn up, pull on a shirt, and share 90 minutes with your teammates. It’s where we learn resilience, discipline, and what it really means to stand by each other.
Aaron Cook, known to most as “Cookie”, is a huge part of that.
He’s played the game at a high level for clubs including Portsmouth, Newport County, Gosport Borough and Salisbury City, taking on leadership roles as a captain along the way, and now gives his time coaching the next generation at Bishops Waltham Dynamos U13s (Hampshire). He’s always been someone who shows up, for his family, his teammates, his players, and his community.
But at just 46, Cookie has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the oesophagus and stomach, which has spread to his liver.
He’s also a much-loved husband to Suzanne and very proud dad to three young children, William, Charlie and Maya, all part of the football community he’s spent years supporting, as well as Step Dad to Molly, a devoted Son to Jeff and Ann and brother to Natasha and Jarrad.
So this is about doing what football does best: coming together and standing by one of our own.
What we’re doing
We’re asking ALL football teams (Grassroots, non-league and veterans etc..) across Hampshire and the UK to turn one of their matches into “90 Minutes for Cookie.”
Pick a game.
Play your 90 minutes.
Make it mean something more.
Each player donates a minimum of £10 before kick-off, turning that match into an immediate contribution. After the final whistle, the team nominates two others to do the same.
From one team… to two… to four… and beyond.
A chain reaction built on the strength of the football community.
Why it matters
This is about taking what football gives us and using it to show up when it really counts.
It’s about:
1. Standing with Cookie and his family when they need it most
2. Bringing football communities together behind one cause
3. Living the values the game teaches us, teamwork, resilience and loyalty, not just on the pitch, but in moments like this.
Half of the money raised will go to Cancer Research UK, funding vital, life-saving research.
The other half will go to the Football Foundation, supporting grassroots football and keeping the game accessible for future generations.
Get involved
If you play, coach, run a team, support from the sidelines, or just want to donate, you can be part of this.
Because football is more than a game.
It’s a community. It’s a family.
Donate. Play. Nominate.
And help turn 90 minutes into something that makes a real difference.
#90MinutesForCookie

PLEASE NOTE: For younger players, match length can be adapted to ensure it is safe and appropriate.