A former Norwich City footballer donned the lycra for a cycling challenge around football clubs to help show the "red card" to human trafficking.

Ex-Carrow Road striker David Hodgson, who played nine times for the Canaries in the 1986/87 season, was one of a group of 20 who took part in the cycle ride.

The cyclists visited clubs in the North East of England to spread the message about modern slavery. They visited Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Darlington and Hartlepool United.

Mr Hodgson, former manager of Darlington, also played for Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday.

Before his spell in Norfolk, he was part of the Sunderland team which Norwich defeated in the 1985 Milk Cup final.

The ride he took part in on Friday (August 19) - the United Nations’ World Humanitarian Day - was part of the Show A Red Card campaign, which focuses on human trafficking in football.

A total of 15,000 victims are trafficked annually in the name of football in Europe alone, according to the 2020 Trafficking In Persons report.

The ride was organised by social entrepreneur Gordon Miller to fundraise for his community interest company Ride For Freedom’s “freewheel programme”.

The programme empowers survivors of modern slavery to cycle to support their physical and mental health.

Mr Miller said Mr Hodgson got in touch with him to say “how impressed he was with Ride For Freedom’s vision and asked if he could support a ride in the North East”.

“We chatted it through and he offered to approach the five professional football clubs in the region and invite several former footballers to participate in the ride.”

Mr Hodgson, 62, who scored four times during his stint with the Canaries, said: “Modern slavery is all too present in our communities – and is an issue that impacts football.

"I stand behind Gordon and Ride For Freedom in their mission to harness cycling to raise awareness of it, as well as to support survivors to cycle through their freewheel programme."

Former footballers Steve Vickers and Neil Maddison, who both played for Middlesbrough, also took part in the ride.