The Front Mo Union raised nearly £50,000 last year, becoming not just the Saints’ Movember team, but a team for rugby supporters regardless of their club, too, with hundreds of members up and down the country.
November has not even started in earnest yet, but already Front Mo Union membership for 2014 is edging towards the 50-mark, and Hartley says it is all about creating a bond and unity between members of the Saints squad and the wider community, too.
“You can’t be greedy and ask people for more money on its own,” he says. “The reason we joined in the first place was for unity; that’s why we’re doing it again this year and if we can raise some money along the way that will be brilliant.
“We’ll let the fundraising happen naturally. We’ve got a few ideas for fundraising events, but nothing is set in stone.
“Last year was unbelievable and that was solely down to everyone at the Saints getting involved, both players and staff. Everyone got on board and the platform that we have here at the Gardens allowed it to spread to the supporters and the wider community, and that really helped.
“It’s a simple bond. If you’re part of the squad, you grow a moustache. During Movember you have players off with the EPS as well as Samoa, the USA and Wales. Luckily we have a whole group of guys who bought into the idea of helping a great cause, and of course it also gets quite competitive!
“We were very lucky and it was humbling to see how much we raised.”
Joining the Front Mo Union is simple. Head to uk.movember.com and create an account, before clicking on ‘Join a Team’ and searching for ‘Front Mo Union’. The more people are in the Union, the more money is raised!
The Movember website is also where you can find about the projects that have been funded by the millions of pounds that have been raised over the years.
And whether you are joining Hartley in growing “just a straight-up slug” or something more elaborate, keep sending your pictures to the Saints’ official Facebook page or Twitter feed (@SaintsRugby) using #FrontMoUnion
