Leeds cancer fight dad in football coaching role

Stuart Brown, 42, will take over as manager of the club’s under sevens team next season to give him a new focus away from his health problems.

Mr Brown, whose seven-year-old son Toby plays for Farsley Celtic Juniors, was diagnosed with melanoma in late 2014.

He said he was experiencing an itch from a mole on his back in October 2014, but did not see his GP until around two months later.

Mr Brown was told it was cancerous and melanoma cells had spread to the lymph nodes under his left armpit. The lymph nodes were removed in an operation in April 2015.

From July to December last year, Mr Brown had five recurring melanoma lumps appear on his back.

They were surgically removed and he is now undergoing check-ups every three months at St James’s Hospital in Leeds.

Mr Brown, who has completed his Football Association level one coaching certificate, said: “I am faced with an uncertain future as I keep having recurrences.

“Involvement in junior football has given my son and I a joint interest and continued our strong bond.

“It has provided me with a different focus. I’m thinking about the football, what needs to be done in training.”

Mr Brown works as a fabric dyer at Stanningley textile compnay AW Hainsworth, who sponsor Farlsey Celtic Juniors’ training kit. The club is seeking new players aged six and seven for next season. Go to www.facebook.com/FarsleyCelticJuniors/.