The Department of Health (DoH) have said a new one year pilot initiative, 'Ahead of the Game-Organise your Defence', will educate men about 'male' cancers, with the support of football clubs across England.
The scheme has the backing of the Bobby Moore foundation, and will be launched at Portsmouth Football Club.
Health secretary Andy Burnham unveiled the Ahead of the Game scheme which uses the appeal of football to improve men's knowledge of the signs and symptoms of lung, bowl and prostate cancers, particularly targeting the over 55's who are at most risk from dying from these cancers.
Campaigner for the Bobby Moore Foundation, Stephanie Moore said: 'I fully support this campaign which I hope will save the lives of thousands of men.
'Cancer can be a daunting thing to think about and I understand that some men shy away from talking about it but I hope that through football we can break through these barriers.'
The scheme will be run by the Football Foundation, and awareness will be raised through nurses giving out information and free health tests at matches and community road shows.
Health secretary Andy Burnham said: 'Currently over 60,000 men get these cancers every year - that's enough to fill the average football stadium twice.
'By raising awareness of the symptoms and making earlier diagnoses, we can improve the chances of survival. Ahead of the Game is a fantastic initiative which will use the massive appeal of our national game to raise awareness of cancer and help save lives.'
Chief executive of the Football Foundation Paul Thorogood added: 'Football has proven to be an extremely effective vehicle to reach very large audiences. In this case, to get the message to high risk groups, such as men over 55, about what the early signs of cancer are, and how essential it is that they should present themselves to their doctor as early as possible to improve their chances of beating it.'
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