Rugby legend and former Wallabies Captain John Eales joined children and their families from Balmain & District Football Club on Saturday to celebrate a new community partnership with UNICEF.
The first grassroots partnership of its kind between UNICEF and a club, UNICEF will work with Balmain DFC to become a ‘Rights Respecting Club’, ensuring all players are aware of their rights and responsibilities on and off the field.
Sport and play are important to UNICEF because they are vital elements in the health, happiness and well-being of children and young people.
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| Children from Balmain & District Football Club with John Eales. ©UNICEFAustralia |
John Eales spoke at the event, reflecting on his own experience as a young rugby player. He said the most important thing about playing sport wasn’t the competition or winning, it was about a group of young people coming together, having fun and encouraging youth participation.
“There has always been an important synergy between UNICEF and football. Using sport to help the development of young people and to bring about change in communities is central to UNICEF’s mandate,” said UNICEF Australia CEO Norman Gillespie speaking at the event.
UNICEF has put together the UNICEF Australia Rights Respecting Clubs charter. The charter aims to help sporting clubs shape behaviour through defining a clear set of values – not just rules – to help children learn the importance of respecting each other’s rights and realising their responsibilities both on and off the field.
The partnership marks another step in UNICEF’s local involvement with Australian football, with the organisation well known globally for its relationship with football giants Barcelona FC and Manchester United FC. In what is set to be an important year fostering UNICEF’s relationship with sport in Australia, UNICEF Australia will also kick off a partnership with
Sydney FC this weekend.
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