The 2021 Junior State Cup Club Champions, Central Coast and runners up, Souths have announced the charities of which they have generously decided to donate all of their prize money.
Central Coast Oztag decided their charity of choice is Youth off the Streets, a community organisation working for disadvantaged young people who may be homeless, drug dependent and/or recovering from abuse.
Central Coast Oztag Licensee, Charmaine Ceeney disclosed why as a club, they decided to donate their winnings ($1000) to Youth off the Streets.
“Youth off the Streets is such a great organisation and our club has always prided itself on being very community focused, knowing the positive impact we have by providing young people the opportunity to play our great game,” Ceeney said.
“Our motto is Healthy Community through Sports and to be able to support an organisation like Youth off the Streets is an absolute no brainer for us,” she said.
While their donation will contribute to a wide range of services, Central Coast also wish to grant those less fortunate with the opportunity to play Oztag.
“Youth off the Streets runs Programs from Lakes College and the plan is to purchase some Oztag playing gear to provide those disadvantaged with the opportunity to play our game and perhaps see some of them eventually compete in our local competitions,” Ceeney said.
Club Champions Runners Up, Souths have also decided to donate the entirety of their prize money ($500) to Beyond Blue, an organisation that provides information and support to help all Australians achieve their best possible mental health.
Souths Junior Oztag Licensee, Leah Bell commented on what prompted their decision to support Beyond Blue.
“They are a great charity that provides support, advice and action to anyone who suffers with Mental Health,” she said.
“In this day and age, it is important that everyone feels like they are not alone and there is always someone that will listen and help you,” Bell said.
Souths are hoping this money can be put towards creating awareness around Mental Health and the resources available, particularly for today’s youth.
“I feel that when anyone is suffering with a mental illness, the main contributing factor is they feel alone and that they can’t talk about it. It would be great to create more social acceptance around Mental Health,” she said.
Lucky to get 30 kids to trial for State Cup per team, Bell is ecstatic with the club’s success at the recent tournaments, putting their achievements down to the hard work of all players and coaches.
“Our players amaze me more and more every year… They make me proud just by putting on our colours, winning is just a bonus,” Bell said.
“Our players love the game and work hard, which shows when they are out on the field,” she said.