Corio, Geelong West Giants team up with the Shaka Project to raise awareness around men’s mental health

Corio and Geelong West will be gunning for a much-need win on Saturday – but the fixture will go well beyond the game as both clubs hope to break down stigmas around speaking up.

Geelong West Zach Rowarth and Corio's Blake Ash donning the club’s one-off jumpers as they team up with The Shaka Project's Adam Looker for a mental health fixture on Saturday. Picture: Brad Fleet

Corio and Geelong West Giants hope their inaugural ‘Shaka Cup’ clash can be a catalyst for a league-wide mental health round.

The Devils and Giants go head-to-head at Shell Reserve on Saturday, their round 11 clash an opportunity for both clubs to clinch a much-needed four points, the injury-hit Devils’ only win coming back in round 1 while a young Giants side has lost their last eight but proven competitive with five losses coming under 20 points this season.

But amid calls for greater mental health awareness and support across all levels of sport, the match-up goes far beyond the scoreboard – the Devils and Giants teaming up to raise awareness around men’s mental health, as well as funds for the Shaka Project, an organisation which offers free mental health workshops for sporting clubs.

Both clubs have committed to making the fixture an annual event, with next year’s match to be hosted at West Oval.

The fixture has already seen traction across the GDFNL, fellow competitors Bell Post Hill and North Geelong set to play off in a similar match next week.

Corio president Darren Bennett said the goal was to shine a light on mental health, the former Devils coach well attuned to issues that players faced, from suicide of family members, to the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol.

“As a coach and as a president, a lot of players come up to you and have their issues, and it sort of stays behind the scenes a lot,” Bennett said.

“But it’s something that should get spoken about, like, a lot of people don’t know why people aren’t at training or are missing games.”

Geelong West Zach Rowarth and Corio's Blake Ash are hosting a mental health round this coming week, donning one-off jumpers as they team up with The Shaka Project's Adam Looker. Picture: Brad Fleet

Corio welcomed the Shaka Project into their club earlier this year after first coming across the Torquay-based mental health organisation on social media.

From there, the idea to play a dedicated game sparked, with Geelong West keen to jump on board with Corio when it was brought up at a presidents meeting.

In turn, Geelong West had Shaka Project at West Oval last Friday, the Giants’ GDFNL president Andrew Campbell calling the presentation “an eye-opener” and encouraging every club to get the organisation in through their doors.

“The more you can bring it to light inside your footy club, those boys can take it home with them and maybe help a family member … if you can help one person, it’s a good thing,” Campbell said.

The Shaka Project, founded by Sean Phillip in 2019, aims to ignite conversations around mental health and change the stigma, particularly in men, around asking for help.

“It’s making people realise that what they’re going through actually matters and that they matter,” the Shaka Project’s warehouse manager Adam Looker said.

“To see local communities close to us really want to dip their toe into it and, you know, ignite that conversation around mental health with their players and sponsors … it’s really positive to see.”

Originally published as Corio, Geelong West Giants team up with the Shaka Project to raise awareness around men’s mental health