Mission Australia and Brisbane Roar officially team up

Mission Australia and the Brisbane Roar officially launched their partnership on Saturday 17 December 2011 with a double-header fixture that saw both Hyundai A-League and Youth League teams take on the Central Coast Mariners.

As the Brisbane Roar’s exclusive Charity Partner and official Community Partner, Mission Australia was honoured to host the game, which provided a great opportunity to spread the word about the work we do both in Brisbane and nationally.

Our distinctive heart logo could be seen all over Suncorp Stadium, including on banners waved about by the ‘MA Crew’ of supporters, as well as on the Y-League players’ jerseys and the A-League and Youth League team members’ socks.

While the A-League team didn’t manage to break its recent losing streak (on the heels of a record-breaking run of wins), the Youth League team were cheered to victory by Mission Australia staff and families and 10 loyal supporters from Roma House – our Brisbane residential service that helps people experiencing homelessness to rebuild their lives.

The Roma House group has been supporting the Roar Y-League team since the start of the season, and have become regular at Cleveland Showgrounds home matches.

During the A-League half time, Brisbane Roar Chief Financial Officer Sean Dobson presented Mission Australia CEO Toby Hall with an official Roar Y-League jersey to celebrate the launch while 35 Mission Australia staff, family and Roma House clients unfurled a huge 20x20m MA banner on the field.

Also taking to the pitch was Michael Stafford, a Roma House client who shared his story with football fans after the Y-League match.

Michael’s story
Michael told the Suncorp Stadium crowd about life on the streets and how in recent months Mission Australia and the Brisbane Roar had helped him to turn his life around. During his stay at Roma House this year, the 22-year-old started attending regular Brisbane Roar Youth League games with the Roma House crew.

As a member of this unique fan club, Michael was inspired by the young players to think about how he could change his own life. With the support of staff at Roma House, he has now moved into his own place and is getting his life back on track. Well done, Michael, and many thanks to the Brisbane Roar for their support. 

Check out photos from Saturday’s launch at Facebook.com/MissionAust