The Round 3 match is the club’s official Closing the Gap match day and will focus on the community program – a national health initiative to address the life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
The Cats six Indigenous players Mathew Stokes, Allen Christensen, Travis Varcoe, Steven Motlop, Joel Hamling and Bradley Hartman are all Closing the Gap ambassadors.
One of the key roles of the ambassadors is to encourage young Aboriginal participants involved in the Deadly Choices community education campaign to learn more about the key health outcomes that can improve their wellbeing. (Deadly is a word known to the Aboriginal Community to describe a "cool or awesome")
For the first time as a club, the Geelong Cats will air an Acknowledgment of Aboriginal Country in the lead up to the bounce of the ball on Saturday night. The club respects that this demonstration is an important part of the ongoing relationship with the Aboriginal communities of Australia and will continue to share this message on the big screen at every home game.
As a demonstration of unity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, an Aboriginal player from each side will join their captain in the coin toss.
Deadly Choices clips promoting healthy lifestyle choices and saying no to smokes will also be shown throughout the match. The TVC’s starring players Mathew Stokes, Allen Christensen and Travis Varcoe will appear on the big screen at Etihad Stadium.
To view the clips, click on the links below.
http://tinyurl.com/byf9lao
http://tinyurl.com/bdomrm4
