Cairns’ largest sporting sponsors reveal why they support grassroots clubs
Some of Cairns’ most influential sporting sponsors have spoken about the personal reasons behind their support of local clubs.
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For some businesses, it’s more than just getting the brand in front of a team name.
Many notable groups in the Far North make regular, vital contributions to the community in the form of sporting club sponsorships.
The Cairns Post has spoken to a few of these businesses to learn the special reasons behind their patronage of certain clubs.
Piccones
Naturally with this prominent Far North business, a lot of the Piccones support of southern Cairns sporting clubs can be owed to its former patriarch, retail magnate Lou Piccone.
Son and director John Piccone said his father was a keen sportsman back in the day, and his business savvy allowed him to give back to the clubs he loved.
“Dad always said he loved being born and bred here and loved North Queensland … we’ve been lucky we’ve been able to give back to community,” he said.
“All of us played sports as kids growing up, and my kids and grandkids play sports too.
“Dad used to play in the Southern Suburbs back in the 50s and early 60s.
“We’ve been a part of that culture since then, 40 years or longer.”
The South Cairns Cutters (AFL), Southside Comets (soccer), Southern Suburbs Cockatoos, the Edmonton Storm, Yarrabah Seahawks (rugby league) and Mulgrave cricket club are some of the larger clubs historically supported by the Piccones.
The Piccones’ decades of work with south Cairns sporting clubs has seen many a championship season across the codes and said victories made for fond memories for the family.
“It’s great to see your affiliated club winning a premiership,” he said.
Kenfrost Homes
For Cairns Taipan great and Kenfrost employee Alex Loughton, being able to support his former club after retirement served as something special.
“As a former player, the highlights of 2010-11 grand final and the 2014-15 grand final – you could really sense the impact on the locals having such a positive thing to get behind,” he said.
“There was such an elevated level of excitement in the town.”
Loughton said the importance of both the Taipans and fellow big name team the Northern Pride was huge due to their state and national reach at a Far North level.
Kenfrost owner and notable Far North businessman John Richardson echoed his Taipan star’s sentiment.
“Sport plays a vital role in building children’s confidence,” he said.
“They look up to the Taipans and Pride and also want to play sport.
“Even though the kids won’t necessarily go pro, participating in a healthy activity is really important.”
Brothers World of Entertainment
Having operated in Cairns for nearly a century, Brothers have well and truly ingrained themselves in the community.
This is all the more true in their involvement in local sport, having supported about 15 clubs and numerous schools and groups.
Brothers executive manager John McCallum said overall the club had provided more than half a million dollars to local sporting clubs across the last decade.
“We try to make sure anyone we do sponsor, we do for a long term approach as such that we can maintain them year in, year out rather than just short periods,” he said.
Major clubs supported by Brothers include the Leprechauns Netball Club, Mulgrave Cricket Club and the Edmonton Storm.
A unique component of the club is a CDRL club of their very own in Brothers Leagues club which has operated in Cairns since the 1970s.
“When it was formed, it’s objective was the promotion of sport,” McCallum said.
“Initially we just focused on rugby league … as the club grew and became more prosperous, we broadened our support of community sport.”
Halpin Partners
Personal investment is just as vital as financial investment, according to Halpin Partners managing director Darren Halpin.
The firm supports multiple clubs across the Cairns region, most notably the Rovers Cricket Club, Edge Hill Football Club and the Cairns Crocs triathlon team.
Halpin himself is an avid cricketer, having spent his youth playing for Innisfail before moving to Cairns 20 years ago.
Nowadays, Halpin suits up for Rovers’ fifth grade squad.
“My boys play it too, that’s another motivation – we try and sponsor sports our kids play,” he said.
“Our businesses are all part of the community, they’re local. Anything based in the community, we like to sponsor.”
Astute Financial
For Astute Financial director and owner John Watts, personal investment was crucial to any kind of support his company gave clubs.
With branches across the Far North, he said many of his staff and their children were involved in one sport or another.
Because of this, Astutes’ support can be felt through all manner of sports with clubs in netball, hockey, rugby league and union among a few.
“These are all just individual sports that someone here may have had an interest in, so that’s how we got involved with sponsorship,” Watts said.
“For business, you need to be there because people in those regional areas like dealing with someone local.
“And if you’re in there, you might as well invest in it – you can’t buy your time there, you want to be invested in your community.”
The business also sponsors a cycling team who participate in the Crocodile Trophy.
This support hearkens back to Watts’ own foray in cycling as part of team Your Shout alongside numerous other businesses 10 years ago.
“I personally got into cycling, and it grew from there,” he said.
“As that grew, some of my friends got very good at it … it’s [Crocodile Trophy] an international race, but it’s about those individual guys [for me].
“They’re appreciative of what we do, it’s not something they just turn up and expect it’s something we’re giving to them.”
Involvement in local sport also led to Astute helping establish the Getting Kids Places – a charity that collects children and takes them to school where they might otherwise be unable to do so.
“Cairns West [state school] was running a program where if kids didn’t go to school, they couldn’t come and play sport,” Watts said.
“So the difference in that was getting these kids to school … they wanted to play sport.
“We felt we wanted to do something grassroots.”
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