Charity Work
£1mil+ Raised
When Franny set himself the target of £1mil he didn’t stop until he achieved it.
MBE
Francis Benali was awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Years Honours list.
Multi-Award winning
Four awards and counting, Franny has pushed through to keep raising money.
A story about going the extra mile
Get an insight into one of the hardest challenges ever completed
In August and September 2014, Franny carried out his first Ultra endurance challenge for Cancer Research UK, completing a 1,000 mile run over three weeks visiting all 20 Premier League grounds, his efforts raising over £265,000.
follow Franny on social media!
Franny moved mountains to Achieve his goals
£1.4mil raised for charity so far and the figure keeps on climbing…
An insight into what franny has achieved
As a player and Club Captain, Benali was regularly involved in community affairs in Southampton and continued to be involved following retirement by becoming a patron of a Saints community programme. Franny is currently a key figure with Saints Foundation, who work within the community and are committed to ensuring the power of football can have a lasting impact in the local and regional areas.
No half measures
In August and September 2014, Franny carried out his first Ultra endurance challenge for Cancer Research UK, completing a 1,000 mile run over three weeks visiting all 20 Premier League grounds, his efforts raising over £265,000. As a result he became the first recipient of the Barclays Spirit of the Game award in December 2014.
Pushing to the limits
Not content with the first challenge, Franny took it upon himself to push the limits of his physical and mental strength even further by attempting and completing an even more gruelling challenge, again for Cancer Research UK.
The story continues…
Then in 2019, he announced he would undertake 7 IronMan distance triathlons in 7 days.This consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by 112 miles on a bike, and then running a marathon (26.2 miles) each day.
Starting in Manchester and finishing in Southampton, Franny, with his team, completed the challenge.Franny, along with his family and support team, have raised over £1million for Cancer Research UK, and continue to support them.
As a result of these efforts Franny has also been awarded both the Cancer Research UK Flame of Hope Award Winner 2015 for Fundraising Volunteer of the Year, as well as the JustGiving Celebrity Fundraiser of the Year 2015. He was also recognised by Southampton City Council, who made him a Freemen of the City. In 2019 he became an official Club Ambassador for Southampton FC and was awarded an MBE in the New Year 2020 Honours List.
The former Southampton defender won the Just Giving Celebrity Fundraiser of the Year award in 2014 for his incredible feat of running to every Premier League ground in just three weeks.
Not content with the first challenge, Franny took it upon himself to push the limits of his physical and mental strength even further by attempting and completing an even more gruelling challenge, again for Cancer Research UK.
What Next?
Francis successfully completed his challenge to visit all 44 Premier League and Championship grounds in just two weeks, making his man-powered journey by a combination of running and cycling. Every day he ran a minimum of one marathon (26.2 miles) and cycled a minimum of 75 miles.
Franny’s work continues for Cancer Research today as he continues to raise money for them.
