The power of sport was on display in Melbourne at the weekend as Fawkner Soccer Club rallied the troops to raise $10,000 for Shepparton flood relief.
An incredible display of generosity, the club ― based in the Melbourne suburb of Fawkner ― pulled together a soccer tournament in less than a week in order to raise the money.
“It exceeded our expectations,” senior women’s team manager Greg Ziegler said.
“People were donating money on the day, buying raffle tickets, we had random suppliers saying they’d donate food for the canteen, there’s a whole list of people that just did amazing things.”
The two-day youth tournament was announced in the wake of the cancellation of the Shepparton Cup, with the club aiming to raise money to help those impacted by floods in Shepparton.
More than 350 kids competed across the event, with referees donating their time and parents coming together to do their bit.
“It was just an amazing community effort,” he said.
“The idea started on Monday night and all of a sudden we had 35 teams playing and in what’s supposed to be the off-season, the parents, the volunteers we have at the club are amazing.
“We’re just mega proud of not just our club, but the whole community the way they came together and said ‘let’s do this’.
“We thought we were going to be lucky to get to about $5000 to be honest, so to get to where we have, it’s amazing.”
In a surprise to attendees and organisers alike, globally recognised soccer player Luis Nani was in attendance on the day, with the ex-Manchester United and Portugal star now based at Melbourne Victory ― and playing the night before.
“It was totally unexpected, his son’s team entered the competition and won their division,” Ziegler said.
“He was very nice, very generous of his time, he could only stay for an hour because he had club commitments, but he took photos with the kids, signed autographs, he didn’t want a big fuss made about it.”
With a number of donated items still to be auctioned off next week, the final total is yet to be known, however, with $10,000 raised so far, the club’s efforts cannot be understated.
“Sometimes you get these tournaments and everyone thinks it’s all about the winning, but this was just about the kids having fun and the parents getting together to turn up and do their bit,” he said.
“It was an amazing two days, amazing spirit with the community, some people in the club have family down Shepparton way, so they know exactly what’s happening, that brought it closer to home.”