Qantas Socceroos support Samoa and Sumatra
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
The more people who attend the two Qantas Socceroos games on Saturday in Sydney and next Wednesday in Melbourne, the more it will cost Football Federation Australia (FFA) but that’s just the way FFA CEO, Ben Buckley, and Qantas Socceroo, Tim Cahill, want it.
Buckley announced that FFA will provide funds to help local communities in Samoa and Indonesia rebuild or re-equip their sporting facilities following the recent natural disasters.
FFA will give $1 for every person who attends either the match between the Qantas Socceroos and the Netherlands tomorrow night or between the Qantas Socceroos and Oman in Melbourne next Wednesday. To kick-off the fundraising, Qantas will make a $25,000 contribution, through its charitable trust, the Qantas Foundation.
“In football terms, Australia is a bridge between the two continents affected by the natural disasters last week.
“The tsunami and the earthquake happened in our neighbourhood and we believe it’s important to provide support where we can.
“We have a shared history with Oceania and the countries of the Pacific, and we are also part of the Asian Football Confederation with Indonesia our largest neighbour.
“The people of Samoa and Sumatra love their football and we believe FFA can most effectively contribute to rebuilding communities by targeting our financial support to reconstructing sporting facilities or providing equipment,” Buckley said.
Qantas Socceroo, Tim Cahill, whose mother is Samoan, said he hopes that this encourages even more people to attend the matches.
“Not only will you see two great football matches, including a crucial Asian Cup qualifier against Oman next week in Melbourne, but just by attending either of these matches you will be helping people rebuild their lives after these tragedies.
“I know many of the people affected by the tsunami and I know that they will welcome this support and thoughtfulness from Australia,” Cahill said.
“As an Australian with strong ties to Samoa, I am so proud that football is making this gesture to help young people in Samoa and Indonesia. It is a measure of how far the game has come in recent years that we are able to do so.”
Qantas Chief Executive Officer, Alan Joyce said it was important for the Australian public and business community to get involved in rebuilding communities affected by recent events.
“As a proud partner of the Qantas Socceroos, we’re committed to working with the FFA to help those communities in need,” Mr Joyce said.
In a separate development, Cahill has also lent his name to a UNICEF ‘Goals for Africa’ campaign to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness in Angola and a life skills education program in Cote d’Ivoire.
“These programs will help give children in Africa access to clean drinking water, immunisation and education – things that many of us take for granted,” said Cahill.
ENDS
Comments are closed.