Gymea Gorillas Junior Rugby League Football Club not only have a commanding presence on the field, but are leaving significant footprints off it with a $20,000 donation to the children’s cancer organisation, Sporting Chance.
Gorillas secretary Scott Miller said the club originally set a target of $10,000 but the enthusiasm among the individual teams to raise money became infectious.
The cheque was presented after all the games were finished yesterday. Pictured above (L-R): the club mascot, President Jordan Moyle, Sporting Chance founder Jack Hughes, Mark Coyne, club Secretary Scott Miller.
“At the start of the season we had the guys from Sporting Chance come to present to us about who they are and what they’re about,” Miller told nswrl.com.au.
“It got everyone inspired and they set targets for each team within the club.”
The Gorillas have 64 teams, including 21 Girls teams, and each of them set out a program of cake stalls, guessing games, BBQs, lamington drives, lolly bags, and even jibbitz sales.
“They are the little symbols you attach to your Croc shoes and one team took it upon themselves to get the Gorillas club logo made into a jibbitz and they sold those,” Miller said.
“It was genius because they sold like hotcakes.”
It is not Gymea’s first sojourn into raising funds for community causes.
Earlier in the year the club made special Anzac Day shirts, which they sold to raise funds for the Cronulla Veterans Association. It led to a cheque for $1,000 being presented.
Origin stars James Tedesco and Mark Coyne are also patrons of Sporting Chance, with Coyne having an attachment to the club after relocating to Sydney to play with St George in 1989.
“It’s the club getting together for something worthwhile and everyone has fun doing it,” Miller said.
“Obviously, we’re a Rugby League club primarily but we still have our place in the community. Already people are asking us ‘What targets are we going to set next year?’
“Teddy retweeted a post we put up about congratulating everyone and the kids just loved that a big star like him noticed their charity work.
“It’s great to see a culture within the club of helping others and wanting to go bigger and better next year,” Miller said.
