West Ham keeping alive the memory of tragic striker Dylan Tombides through cancer charity

Tracy Tombides is probably the only person inside London’s Curzon Bloomsbury cinema on Wednesday night with a model pair of testicles in her possession. After just a few minutes speaking to her about her son Dylan, though, nothing could feel more normal.

was just 20 years old when . He was one of the brightest sparks in academy, in both talent and character, and his loss is felt keenly by everyone around the club more than a decade on.

Tracy launched the charity in 2015. The name is a reference to Dylan’s initials and Hammers squad number, which was retired by the club just one day after his death.

Those model testicles we mentioned? Tracy keeps them on her person and uses them to show people just how easy it is to check their balls for signs of testicular cancer.

On Wednesday, Mirror Football spoke to her, and to Dylan’s former team-mates and others associated with at a special screening of the documentary Premier League Stories: Dylan Tombides. The screening marked the start of testicular cancer awareness month, and celebrated the career of a young footballer taken far too soon.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Dylan Tombides wasn’t just a talented footballer. He was one who had the goods to make it right to the top, and was already well on his way when his cancer was detected following a random doping test during the Under-17 World Cup in 2011.

The striker made a substitutes’ bench for the first time in May 2011, just two months on from his 17th birthday, when West Ham faced on the final day of the season. One month after that, he scored a late winner for ’s Under-17 side against Cote d’Ivoire, setting them in to reach the last 16 in the age-group World Cup.

Team-mate Milos Degenek would go on to play World Cup football for Australia after playing in that tournament, while some of those he played against - including current West Ham defender Emerson - would become Premier League regulars. Dylan was well on that path, with belief in Australia and England that he could emulate the likes of Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka and make it right to the top.

“One of our first trips away together was to Abu Dhabi. We had a tour there in 2011 and I was lucky enough to have him as my roommate so we obviously bonded quite well over that experience,” former West Ham winger Matthias Fanimo recalls. “Trying to introduce him to the team, which he kind of gelled with perfectly, to be honest.

“He didn't really need too much introduction, he was just always that person where you go in a room, you can hear him, you can see him, he's always doing something silly, smiling, joking. So yeah, just a vibrant character and really great to have in the dressing room.

“[Making the bench at 17] just showed the trajectory he was on.He was an exceptional player and it's a testament to his character, him making his debut after going through chemo. It just shows you the resilience and fortitude he had.”

Fanimo made his own West Ham debut in the second round of the EFL Cup in 2012. Dylan’s debut may well have come sooner were it not for the chemotherapy he underwent in an effort to become cancer-free, but he too got his chance.

Both players came off the bench in round three against Wigan Athletic, in what would end up being Dylan’s only senior appearance. Since then, though, his name has remained forever associated with West Ham United.

Matt Jarvis was also part of the West Ham side for that Wigan game. He had only been with the club for a few months at that point, but it quickly became clear the Hammers had an incredible talent in the academy.

“When I first signed for the club I didn't know Dylan, and my first interaction with him was when he was going through his treatment. But you never would have known,” Jarvis says.

“I didn't know until someone told me. Because he was so happy, so positive, had a smile on his face the whole time, joining in training, out on the pitches. It's only when you find out what he was going through at that particular time, he's an inspirational character - it's something you can never dream of going through and he was doing it with a smile on his face.”

Dylan Tombides died on April 18, 2014. His father Jim and brother Taylor - who was in West Ham’s academy himself at the time - led the tributes ahead of a match against the following day, and his number 38 shirt was retired at kick-off.

Since then, West Ham have regularly remembered Dylan at this time of year, and the upcoming home meeting with is a designated memorial match. Tracy has thanked the club for their support, with manager Graham Potter among those in attendance at Wednesday’s film screening, and continues to lead the battle against testicular cancer in her son’s name.

In addition to encouraging checks, Tracy has a five-year plan to establish a men’s health centre. It’s in keeping with the ethos of the charity, which she knew she wanted to set up almost instantly.

“We decided to set up the charity in May 2014 after we took Dylan home to Australia for his service,” she explains. We had Dylan cremated back out in Australia, and at the wake it was evident to me that all his friends and family had no idea what the signs and symptoms were of testicular cancer.

“We always knew we wanted to do something in Dylan's memory, we just didn't know what it was, and that was that lightbulb moment that went 'do you know what, there's a whole male population out here that needs an education around this'.

“Largely because I didn't know about testicular cancer and as a parent I should do. and so i was like it's not only for men, it's for women, it's for care givers, so that's why we initiated the charity.”

There are reminders of Dylan around West Ham’s academy, with education suites named after the striker. Current academy manager Kenny Brown wasn’t with the club at the same time, but recognises West Ham had an incredible talent on their hands.

“It can be forgotten about, but when you speak to people who were at the club at the time, he was the life and soul of the changing room and the pitch,” Brown says. “He attacked everything he did - whether he was out on the training ground, whether he was in the gym, whether he was in education, everything he did he did to the maximum and he was so well liked. And so when we're looking at our boys not coming through, they're the traits that we want from our players.

For Brown and others at the club, Dylan’s legacy is plain to see every single day. “We're having testicular cancer checks every year now within the club,” he adds. “It's part of our induction with all new players, with all new staff, they all know about Dylan.

“i felt it was really important that we do that because yes we've got education rooms named after him, but unless you were around at the time or a massive West Ham supporter, you probably wouldn't necessarily know about Dylan. The whole background of it, not just the sad news and the illness, but how he was and how he got to where he was.

“Now, that story is really important. That's what we show, that's what we deliver to all our young players, all the parents and the new staff. It's really important because as long as West Ham and the academy are running then Dylan's name will always be associated with it.”

Testicular cancer has a higher survival rate than many other cancers, but that doesn’t change the importance of early detection. This is something the club are clearly keen to push, and something Tracy Tombides has been determined to drive home over the last decade plus.

“It was very much evident that over the years you realise just how many people are diagnosed with testicular cancer and just how many people have that scare,” she adds “And for me it's always been around the whole scenario that 'why not test for the worst-case scenario first and give yourself the best chance of surviving it'.

“Because it does have a high survival rate, but not if you have to go through all the other trials and tribulations of what it might be before you get to the seriousness of it. So that's my aim, the aim is to reverse that and get somebody in front of a doctor with an ultrasound at the initial concern stage, not six months later.”

Last year, a decade on from Dylan’s death, a number of former West Ham stars were in action in a charity match against Dagenham & Redbridge legends. Fanimo, who has worn Dylan’s number 38 during his own playing career, works closely with the foundation and expects more of the same to follow.

“Whenever there's something that Tracy needs help with and she calls me, if I can be there I will. Anything I can do to help the foundation, to push his legacy out there.

“Even donning the number 38 in my personal career, i've done that a number of times, just to keep his legacy going.

“Like people have said in the documentary, he would have been that one percent. Having his shirt retired, it's the only right way you can carry it on.”

and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our