THE Port Adelaide Football Club is pleased to announce that Welcome to Australia will be the official charity partner for Friday night’s blockbuster clash with Melbourne.
Welcome to Australia originated in South Australia but has grown nationally into a body which shares many of the same values as Port Adelaide in terms of being inclusive.
The partnership was announced by stand-in Port Adelaide CEO Zahraa al-Sarraf, who has taken on the job after winning a competition to be CEO for the Day.
“At Port Adelaide we are committed to the belief that if anything can transcend race, intolerance, discrimination or disadvantage, it is sport,” she said.
“We pride ourselves on being inclusive, on welcoming people into our family, regardless of culture, religion or race.
“Our partnership is all about raising awareness about the important message that Welcome To Australia shares, which is about cultivating a culture in Australia that welcomes people to our nation and encourages social cohesion.”
“We think Australia is known for its diversity, generosity and commitment to giving everyone a fair go and we thank Welcome to Australia for coming on board for Friday night to spread that message.”
Zahraa said the message was particularly important to her because her family was welcomed to Australia as refugees from Lebanon 15 years ago, and especially fitting on World Refugee Day, in national refugee week.
Welcome to Australia chairman Brad Chilcott said the club understood the power of ‘welcome’ to help people feel that they belong so they can contribute and thrive.
“We know how powerful welcome is in a footy club setting – if you feel welcome you are able to dominate in a way that you can’t when you feel like you’re not part of the team,” Mr Chilcott said.
“But welcome is also essential for building great communities, great cities and great nations and we’re really proud to partner with a club like Port Adelaide who knows how powerful welcome can be.
“We don’t need anyone to give us donations on Friday night – we would love people to be inspired by the idea that they can make their community better by making it more welcoming.
“We want people to think about how they can meet someone new, welcome them to the community, their workplace, their school and create a culture where all people are treated as equally valuable, equally important and equally part of the community and making it thrive.”
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