Gerrard and co give fees to charity

Steven Gerrard and his England teammates have agreed to give their World Cup match fees to charity.

The 30-man provisional squad flies to a pre-tournament training camp in Austria today - but Gerrard insists they won't lose touch with real life back home amid World Cup fever.

Charities that are set to benefit from the match fees include Children's Hospices UK, WellChild, the Bobby Moore Fund, the PFA and the Team England Outreach Programme.

Our skipper said: "It's a campaign that we've come up with, an idea of sticking together with our charity partners who we're helping to fund. The motto is, 'Together We're Stronger'.

"The motto sends out a message that we're all united and we're all pulling in the right direction to give a bit back to society.

"But it's a great message for the fans and the country as well. Their support is key for us to do really well in South Africa. To be successful, everyone needs to stick together - the players, the manager and the supporters."

Meanwhile, Gerrard believes England's players, who were booed by supporters when they missed out on Euro 2008, are now closer than ever to their fans.

He said: "The fans see that we're working really hard to improve and we're desperate to achieve something for them. That is what we do it for. It would be fantastic if we could send them home from South Africa really happy and really proud of the team.

"I've played in situations where the fans haven't been behind the team and it's difficult. It affects performance and individuals and it's not helpful.

"But on the other hand, I've played in front of a packed Wembley when the fans are roaring us on to victory and it's a massive help. If we can get that kind of support in the World Cup, it could be key for us in getting over this quarter-final hurdle and going further.

"That's the message I'd like to send to the fans - get behind us, roar us on and it will definitely help us out there."