Turning football fields purple
The Maccabi Hakoah Junior Soccer Club in Sydney and Maccabi FC Caulfield in Melbourne took part over two weekends in July, with the initiative supported by #PurpleOurWorld in Sydney.
Now in its ninth year, #PlayInPurple is a national campaign that turns sports fields across Australia purple for pancreatic cancer. Local sporting clubs are encouraged to purchase and wear specific #PlayInPurple socks, raising funds for Pankind, the Australian Pancreatic Cancer Foundation.
This year, the Maccabi Hakoah Junior Soccer Club in Sydney and Maccabi FC Caulfield in Melbourne took part over two weekends in July, with the initiative supported by #PurpleOurWorld in Sydney.
#PurpleOurWorld was founded in 2014 by the family of the late Rochelle Goulburn, a Moriah College teacher of more than three decades, who passed away from pancreatic cancer. The social media initiative works closely with several pancreatic cancer charities in Australia through the Australian Pancreatic Cancer Alliance, including Pankind, to raise awareness and funds, and lobby government for much-needed change.
“Mum passed away 10 years ago, and we started #PurpleOurWorld soon after,” co-founder Jessica Abelsohn said. “The community rallied behind us immediately. To still have that support 10 years later is very heartwarming. Maccabi has been part of our family’s DNA for four generations and our kids were simply beaming when they saw their teammates and so many players wearing the socks.”
#PlayInPurple not only raises money for Pankind but much-needed awareness through conversations on the sidelines.
“Several parents approached us on the day asking why the kids were wearing special socks. The initiative allows us to educate people who may not know much, if anything, about the disease,” Abelsohn said. “The number of people who then say to us that they have a relative or know someone who died from pancreatic cancer is astounding.”
The two clubs joined 100 others to support the initiative, raising more than $3000 combined. The total raised from #PlayInPurple is expected to exceed $250,000 for pancreatic cancer research.
The feedback from both clubs was positive all around.
“Our members were proud to support the initiative,” Greg Kitay from Maccabi Hakoah Junior Soccer Club said. “Many purchased socks while others were happy to simply donate. We helped raise awareness across more than 200 kids and their families from our own club, and as importantly, we helped push awareness to the clubs we played against.”
The feeling was mutual in Melbourne.
“I think that above all we achieved awareness of pancreatic cancer as well as galvanised the support of a number of players and teams at the club,” Kevin Milstein from Maccabi FC Caulfield said. “The teams that jumped on board were happy to help such a worthy cause and hoped that they could make a worthwhile difference to people’s lives.”
Pancreatic cancer is projected to be the fourth biggest cancer killer in Australia in 2023, with a five-year survival rate of only 12.5 per cent.
Jessica Abelsohn is The AJN’s arts and lifestyle editor.
comments