From Bunbury to Townsville, hundreds of community cricket clubs across Australia will join the Vodafone Sydney Pink Test phenomenon this year by participating in Pink Stumps Day on 18 February 2012, an initiative of the McGrath Foundation and Cricket Cares, Cricket Australia’s community action program.
The McGrath Foundation was bowled over by the massive response in 2011 for the inaugural Pink Stumps Day, with 665 clubs uniting to raise over $550,000. With the Pink Test in Sydney now in its fourth year, the McGrath Foundation and Cricket Australia look to again spread the hot pink magic beyond the Sydney Cricket Ground and onto the pitches right across Australia.
Chairman and Co-Founder of the McGrath Foundation, Glenn McGrath, is thrilled by the support and enthusiasm communities showed during Pink Stumps Day 2011 and is hoping Pink Stumps Day 2012 is even bigger and even pinker.
‘Pinks Stumps Day 2011 was started to help involve local communities in the spirit of the Sydney Pink Test and we were blown away by how big it was. This year, we’re hoping to get more clubs involved with our community fundraising and raise funds and awareness for the McGrath Foundation.
‘It’s through the support of the Australian Government, Corporate Friends, Foundation Friends and the Australian public that we’ve been able to support more than 10,000 Australian families through their breast cancer experience in the past three years with our 65 McGrath Breast Care Nurses working nationally. Support from Cricket Australia and the cricket community will go a long way to helping us support the next 10,000 families,’ Glenn said.
Cricket Australia CEO, James Sutherland, is looking forward to the cricket community again banding together behind the national cause and strengthening the friendship between Cricket Australia and the McGrath Foundation.
‘Pink Stumps Day has quickly become a key feature of Cricket Cares, our community action program.
‘It gives cricket clubs nationwide, irrespective of their size, the chance to use cricket as a vehicle to support the McGrath Foundation, just as has been done with the Sydney Pink Test for the past four years.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing cricket clubs covered in pink across Australia again in February, just as the SCG is each year in January.’
Head of Sponsorship and Events at Vodafone, Stephen Saunders, said ‘The efforts of the McGrath Foundation make an extraordinary difference to the lives of many Australians and their families. Pink Stumps Day is a fantastic initiative, and we’re looking forward to joining our cricket community and the McGrath Foundation, to make Pink Stumps Day bigger and better than ever before.”
Following last year’s success, participation in the Pink Stumps Day 2012 will be open to the first 1,000 clubs which register. Not only will these clubs receive a unique online fundraising page to help their fundraising efforts, each club will also receive a Pink Stumps Day Team Kit valued at over $500. The kit includes two sets of pink McGrath Foundation / Vodafone stumps and two sets of bails, six pink training safety cricket balls, one pair of pink McGrath Foundation wicketkeeper pads, 15 pink McGrath Foundation / Vodafone caps for the players and coaches, 12 pink McGrath Foundation sew-on badges for the players, 100 pink McGrath Foundation temporary tattoos and a pink McGrath Foundation Team Kit bag.
Plus, every registered club will have the opportunity to enter a competition to win a visit from an Australian Cricket Legend and have the likes of Glenn McGrath attend their Pink Stumps Day on 18 February 2012.
Clubs will be encouraged to invite friends and family to wear pink on the day, and arrange fundraising activities such as a gold coin donation sausage sizzle, a pink food stall and face painting, as well as having volunteers roam the field with collection tins for donations. All proceeds from the day will be donated to the McGrath Foundation to place McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia and to increase breast awareness in young women.
Clubs can now register to participate in Pink Stumps Day and receive their Pink Stumps Team Kit Bag at www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au. Registration closes Thursday 12 January 2012.
The McGrath Foundation thanks Cricket Australia and Vodafone for their support.
