This crazy team is helping kids with cancer
2021-04-27
The NSW netball community of players, umpires, coaches, support crews and fans will unite throughout the 2021 season as “Team Crazy” to support kids with cancer
It’s all part of the community’s annual Crazy Hair & Sock Day aimed to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research through The Kids’ Cancer Project.
Key dates:
Sunday 18 July - NSW Swifts Crazy Hair & Sock Charity Round match
Saturday 24 July - Association Crazy Hair & Sock Day
For over a decade, the NSW Swifts have partnered with The Kids’ Cancer Project to bring attention to the disease that causes more deaths among Australian children than any other, and to raise funds that will lead to 100% cure.
Discover: Research projects funded by The Kids' Cancer Project
By getting on the court in silly socks and colourful hair-dos, the squad has lead the charge in generating hundreds of thousands of dollars to date for investment into ground breaking discoveries to help children with many different types of cancer.
Lauren Moore, who made her Swifts debut in 2016, decided to lose her locks for The Kids’ Cancer Project raising more than $16,700 in 2020, a year in which she is described as having “really arrived on the elite netball scene.”
Read more: Watch how Lauren's head shave went down!
And even though the 2020 season was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions, the wider netball community raised more than $28,500 for the cause while adding colour to courts all around the state.
The Swifts will be having their charity round dedicated to The Kids’ Cancer Project on Saturday 18 July. For grass roots clubs, the official Netball NSW Crazy Hair & Sock Day is a week later on Saturday 24 July, but Associations can choose any date in their fixtures calendar to register.
Owen Finegan, Australian Wallaby legend and CEO of The Kids’ Cancer Project is delighted by the commitment of the NSW netball community to the cause. Owen explains:
COVID-19 may have stalled the 2020 netball season, but it certainly didn’t put a stop to children being diagnosed with cancer...That’s why we’re continually grateful for our enduring partnership with Netball NSW and the commitment of Associations and players.
But with more children dying of cancer in Australia than any other disease, Finegan is eager for more of the community to get behind what he views as a major health concern. He continues:
On average every year in Australia 156 children die of cancer and to put that figure into netball player terms, that’s more than 22 on-court squads...If something caused that many fatalities during a season, the whole country would be up in arms, we need to have that same level of concern directed to kids’ cancer.
Every donation large and small adds up, and anyone can make a difference. Donations will be collected at courts all around the state as part of individual Associations’ fundraising efforts.