Tackle Sepsis, Save Lives Charity Football Match

What to Expect

The Irish Sepsis Foundation brings a charity legends match to Cupra Park in Drogheda’s Marian Park on Saturday 12 September 2026, with doors opening at 2:15pm ahead of a 3pm kick-off. Stephen Carr’s Premier League Legends take on Robbie Horgan’s Irish Football Legends over two hours of exhibition football, with both team captains carrying a personal connection to the cause they are raising money for. Carr, a former Republic of Ireland international who played in the Premier League for clubs including Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, lost his mother to sepsis, while Horgan, a former League of Ireland goalkeeper and manager, is himself a sepsis survivor. Both men act as brand ambassadors for the Irish Sepsis Foundation and use matches like this one to put the condition in front of a crowd that might not otherwise hear about it.

Sepsis is the body’s extreme reaction to infection, and it can move from flu-like symptoms to organ failure within hours if it is not caught and treated quickly. The Irish Sepsis Foundation’s work is built around getting that message out to the public and to frontline staff, and a fundraising match with recognisable former professional players is one of the ways it reaches people who would not attend a lecture or information evening on the subject. The event is open to all ages, and alongside the football itself attendees can expect some element of storytelling from the two ambassadors about their own experiences with sepsis.

Good to Know

• Date: Saturday 12 September 2026, doors 2:15pm, kick-off 3pm, finishing around 5pm
• Venue: Cupra Park, Marian Park, Drogheda
• Format: exhibition match, Stephen Carr’s Premier League Legends v Robbie Horgan’s Irish Football Legends
• In aid of the Irish Sepsis Foundation
• All ages welcome
• Tickets booked through Eventbrite; refunds available up to seven days before the match

Getting There

Marian Park is on the south side of Drogheda, a short drive or taxi ride from the town centre and from Drogheda train station on the Dublin to Belfast line. Drogheda is accessible from the M1 motorway, with Bus Éireann services running into the town from Dublin, Dundalk and Belfast.