Sacred Heart Old Collegians lead the way in Breakthrough Community Round for mental health
They may be fierce competitors on the field but SANFL and amateur footy clubs across SA are uniting to tackle mental health in a special round of play.
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Local footy clubs across the SANFL and the state’s amateur leagues will join forces for a united goal in a mental health round this weekend.
Clubs will take the field in Breakthrough Community Round – established by the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation in conjunction with local sporting leagues – to raise funds and awareness.
At the forefront of the initiative is Adelaide Footy League division two side Sacred Heart Old Collegians.
Star signing Alex Cailotto, along with teammate Brayden Richardson, had a hand in organising the round this season.
“We’re going to wear special guernseys and armbands during the round and we’ve got guernseys and beanies we’ll sell and auction off to raise funds for Breakthrough research as well,” Cailotto said.
“We’re also going to have a mental health session at the club for the players to let them know they’re all supported and to raise a bit of awareness about how to support your mates as well.”
Cailotto said sport had an important role to play in the community when it came to mental health.
“It’s exciting to see that clubs at SANFL level and local league level are being proactive, implementing preventive measures and raising awareness rather than tackling issues when they arise,” Cailotto said.
“When we held a mental health night last year Zane Kirkwood (former Sturt champion), who works at Breakthrough, was a guest speaker and it prompted Brayden (Richardson) to share his story.
“The fact more clubs will follow suit and help more players out in the process is super positive.”
Cailotto said this importance had been reinforced by the Covid-19.
“I think awareness is growing but it’s more evident there’s been a gap with support networks during Covid, with less people being able to take part in community sport,” he said.
“Clubs are where a lot of us get our support from and it’s important people know they can access support through their footy club.
“We’ve got a great community at SHOCs and we’ve now got a welfare committee in place which can assist players and others involved with mental health, employment, housing and so on, which is fantastic.”
The round comes as more SA clubs continue to recognise the need to provide assistance to players and members.
Among other clubs leading the way are Goodwood Saints – which recently won a national award for its work in the mental health space – as well as Para Hills, which has hosted multiple Breakthrough rounds.
SHOC will host Henley this Saturday for Breakthrough Community Round and will wear purple guernseys for the occasion.
The club’s B and C grades will wear the guernseys in round five.