AFL Toyota Premiership 2011

One in Five

The complex issue of domestic violence was identified by the AFL and Geoff Slattery Publishing staff as being of key concern to them, through an internal survey that was conducted in 2006. This compliments the AFL’s Respect & Responsibility program, which aims to promote respectful attitudes and behaviours towards women, and is focussed on addressing sexual assault and violence against women across the community, state and national club leagues.

The objective of this program is to engage a range of AFL staff members in a constructive response to the problem of domestic violence, working closely with respected community partners such as Mercy Care, Elizabeth Hoffman House, and No to Violence. (can these be hyperlinked to the individual org’s websites??)

The AFL’s One in Five program was established to provide staff with the opportunity to use their skills and expertise as volunteers to create positive outcomes for relevant community organisations. A One in Five coordinating group was set up, which meets monthly to discuss recent achievements and identify new opportunities for support. 

One in Five have worked with Mercy Care to re-design their logo and branding, have assisted with the volunteer weekend in Sorrento, and worked to support their annual cocktail party to raise significant funds for the organisation.

AFL staff members have worked closely with Elizabeth Hoffman House to launch the MAYA Healing Service, which focuses on indigenous men who use family violence in the home, and is the first of its kind in Victoria. The service was launched late in November 2007.

In partnership with No To Violence a video was produced for Fathers’ Day 2007 that was played at many venues, emphasising the positive role that many AFL identities play in the community.

Paul Licuria’s Life Skills Program

In association with the AFL Foundation and The Salvation Army in Melbourne, Collingwood player Paul Licuria conducted two more Life Skill seminars this year for young people who are disadvantaged. The objective of these seminars is to encourage these young people to acknowledge and harness the skills and resources they do have, and to explore ways of developing additional skills and building habits that will better equip them for life’s challenges and opportunities.

South Africa Trip

In October four AFL players took part in an end-of season-trip with a difference. Jason Johnson, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Kris Massie and Mark Bolton accompanied AFL Foundation CEO Derek Linsell and World Vision CEO Tim Costello on a trip to South Africa to gain a first hand insight into the plight of extreme poverty. Arriving in Durban the players were taken to rural areas where they saw for themselves the desperate poverty in which so many South Africans live.

As the AFL explores opportunities for game development in South Africa, there are unique opportunities for the AFL community to be directly involved in making a difference in South African communities that have grossly inadequate health services, educational opportunities and employment prospects. The visit was a small step towards exploring ways the AFL can work cooperatively with agencies such as World Vision and The Oaktree Foundation.

Sports without Borders

The AFL Foundation recently made a grant of $5000 to the not-for-profit organisation Sports Without Borders for their work providing support for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds who are involved or want to get involved in sport.

Sports Without Borders provide funding assistance to alleviate the barriers and impediments children from migrant and refugee communities face when trying to participate in community club sports.

It is hoped that this initial grant will be the start of active and mutually beneficial relationship between Sports Without Borders and the AFL Foundation.

AFL Community Leadership Award

Over the last number of years the AFL Foundation has offered this award to a player who has showed exemplary leadership in the community. The award is designed to highlight the selfless behaviour of players who give of themselves for the betterment of those less fortunate. This year the Foundation received a number of applications which exhibited this behaviour. After much deliberation Craig Bolton from the Sydney Swans was announced as the winner because of his work working with people who are homeless in Sydney through the organisation Street Swags.  As a result Street Swags will receive $10,000 from the Foundation. The runners up were Nathan Bassett (Adelaide Crows), Michael Johnson (Fremantle) and Mark Bolton (Essendon). Each of these players will receive $2000.00 from the Foundation for their favourite charity. Derek to double check the prizes?? 

Previous winners of the AFL Community Leadership Award are:

2003   David Wirrpanda – West Coast
2004  Andrew Schauble - Sydney
2005   Xavier Clarke – St Kilda
2006   Joel Bowden - Richmond

Click here to read an article on the 2007 AFL Community Leadership Award.

Other Community Initiatives that the AFL and the Foundation are involved with:

White Ribbon Day

The AFL again hosted its White Ribbon “Footy and Food” breakfast to mark the global effort made on November 25 each year to address violence against women.

White Ribbon Day provides international recognition of the high rates of violence perpetrated against women and children around the world each year. The campaign is particularly aimed at encouraging men to play a role by speaking out about violence against women and becoming a White Ribbon Ambassador.

This is the second year that AFL chief, Andrew Demetriou co-hosted the breakfast with Andrew O’Keefe, chairperson of the White Ribbon Foundation to raise awareness about the issue and to call on government, big business and the wider community to join forces in making a difference.

Over a dozen players from different AFL clubs showed their support for the event by dining with those who had purchased tickets to the breakfast. Over $30,000 was raised in support of the White Ribbon Foundation’s efforts.