Walking onto the Sydney Football Stadium is a thrill for any footballer. This was particularly true for 22 young players from the Sutherland Shire on Sunday, August 16 when they accompanied their Hyundai A-League heroes out on-field in front of a crowd of almost 15,000 people at the SFS.
Walking onto the Sydney Football Stadium is a thrill for any footballer. This was particularly true for 22 young players from the Sutherland Shire on Sunday, August 16 when they accompanied their Hyundai A-League heroes out on-field in front of a crowd of almost 15,000 people at the SFS.
The children, aged from 6 to 12, were able to participate in this unique opportunity as part of the MBF Community Football Program, a joint initiative between the Sydney Football Club and leading private health insurer MBF.
The juniors came from the Cronulla RSL, Caringbah Redbacks, Gymea Giants, Miranda Magpies, Gawley Bay and Cronulla Seagulls football clubs. They were chosen in recognition of the contributions they-ve made to their clubs, on and off the field.
The initiative is one the Sydney FC players enjoy as they recognise how important it is to involve young footballers in the game.
“Growing up we all had our own football heroes and watching them is a big part of what inspired us to get to where we are today,” said Sydney FC Captain, Steve Corica.
“It-s great to have the kids walk out with us and hopefully we can help inspire them to follow their own football dreams.”
MBF-s Director of Marketing, Mark Engel, said the company had initiated the innovative program to align its long-term goal of helping people lead healthier, happier and longer lives.
“We are delighted to be involved with the MBF Community Football Program, which combines our passion for football and fitness to encourage the next generation to lead a healthy lifestyle,” he said.
“And what better way to achieve this than by enabling these aspiring young players to run onto the ground and experience the iconic atmosphere of the Sydney Football Stadium on game day.
“We are confident this fun and exciting community initiative will further develop our most important resource, our children, by encouraging them to participate in football-based activities.”
The MBF Community Football program is run throughout the New South Wales and includes family fun days, coaching clinics and player appearances at local schools.
“It-s essential that we allow children to choose sporting activities they want to be involved in, and that we make these activities fun and rewarding,” Engel said.
“Importantly, the MBF Community Football Program has been specifically designed to foster this enthusiasm and help children remain active and healthy.”
