Season 2010 - Official AFL Website of the Collingwood Football Club

The campaign coincides with news that 810 knives and dangerous weapons were surrendered to police during its amnesty in May 2009 - an increase of 78 per cent on last year's amnesty.

To launch the campaign, the Friday night round nine match against Geelong was dedicated to the Knives Scar Lives message.

Magpie defender Harry O’Brien has agreed to spearhead the campaign after experiencing knife violence at an early age.

“I’ve seen first-hand street violence. I’ve seen fights that can escalate into stabbings. It’s terrifying and the greatest form of self defence is having the power to walk away,” O’Brien said.

Related media

April 18, 2010: Herald Sun - "Harry O'Brien's plea to put knives down"

May 19, 2010: Herald Sun - "Collingwood's Harry O'Brien to front government anti-knives campaign"

May 19, 2010: The Premier of Victoria - "Collingwood footballers say knives scar lives"

Collingwood Multi Cultural Program
Collingwood Football Club in conjunction with The AFL/Football Victoria and the Department for Victorian Communities has established this program to assist people from diverse cultural backgrounds to integrate into Australian society through Australian Football. Harmit Singh is working with Football Victoria and a wide range of multicultural networks to broaden the AFL participation base and support for AFL Clubs.

The primary objective of the AFL Multicultural Program is to assist migrant and refugee communities to access Australian Football whether that is as a player, fan, administrator or umpire. At Collingwood we want Australian Football to be a vehicle that encourages community strengthening and inclusion within the wider Australian community.

Australian Childhood Foundation
The Australian Childhood Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that works tirelessly to support children and families devastated by abuse, family violence and neglect.

Collingwood supports the Australian Childhood Foundation with matchday promotions and club champion Paul and Barbara Licuria are ambassadors for the charity.

www.childhood.org.au

Collingwood supports the foundation with players visiting their own Peter Mac patients throughout the year and being involved in the inaugural breakfast before the Collingwood and Carlton shown down. President, Coach and Captain of each club speaking on the morning to raise funds for the Foundation.

www.petermac.org

Christmas Charity Lunch at the Westpac Centre
Christmas Lunch works with Salvation Army and welfare agencies in and around Collingwood to bring disadvantaged children and families to a special Christmas breakfast at the Westpac Centre.

RecLink Australia
RecLink is a non-profit incorporated association which recognises that everyone has the right to gain access to recreational opportunities and associated benefits which flow from this. Collingwood Football club this year became involved with this fun and exciting program and now look after the Livingroom Magpies and Collingwood Knights. Alan Didak and Dale Thomas gave their support throughout the year to the Reclink and we are looking forward to 2009 season.

www.reclink.org

Yuendumu Community Football Club/ Industrial Magpies coterie
The Yuendumu Magpies is the premier club amongst the indigenous football clubs of Central Australia. It was the first indigenous community team to win the CAFL Lightning Carnival (Easter 2001) in 2005 won their third successive premiership in the community football competition and were premiers again in 2007.

The principle objects of the group, as set out in the Company Constitution, are to function solely as a charitable non-profit corporation that operates for the public benefit, to promote and advance throughout Australia the development and enjoyment of the sporting activities and culture of Indigenous Australians. The idea behind the group is to build on the shared sporting culture and sporting activities of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. A love of Australian Rules Football and the Collingwood Football Club (“CFC”) provides a unique link between the world of urban industrial relations practitioners, and the remote aboriginal community of Yuendumu, 300 km northwest of Alice Springs.

Rumbalara Football and Netball Club
Rumbalara Football and Netball Club is more than just a sporting club. Rumbalara which means ‘end of the rainbow’ is the spiritual and cultural home of Goulburn Valley’s Indigenous community.

www.rumba.com.au

The Robert Rose Foundation
The Robert Rose Foundation is proudly supported by the Collingwood Football Club through the annual Robert Rose Cup, hotly contested by Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs. The game is dedicated to the memory of the great sportsman Robert Rose Jnr., who back in the '70s played for both Collingwood and Footscray.

Son of the famous Bob Rose, Robert Robert’s career was cut tragically short when he was in a car crash that left him a quadriplegic at the age of 22. The match pays tribute to all Victorians living with a spinal cord injury whose lives have been changed forever.

At the end of the game each year the foundation present the Bob Rose, Charlie Sutton medallion to the player in the match who best exemplifies the qualities that Sutton and Rose became renown for over their careers – toughness, skill, leadership, teamwork and sportsmanship.
 

Independence Australia

Since its inception in 2005, the Collingwood Football Club has proudly supported the annual Racing for the Roses charity fundraising event, staged by Independence Australia and the Robert Rose Foundation.  The monies raised from this event each year go towards helping people with high level physical disabilities to achieve their desired quality of lifestyle.

The Collingwood Football Club also supports the following organisations:

Collingwood Secondary College
Ronald McDonald House
Royal Children’s Hospital - Click HERE to watch the CTV feature of Collingwood's visit to the hospital
Education Foundation - City Centre Program (in conjunction with the Pratt Foundation)