Football clubs kicking goals for sarcoma awarenessWednesday, June 15, 2016 - 10:30 AM

It is WA Sarcoma Awareness Week and football players from more than 197 teams across the West Perth, Subiaco and Claremont Districts will be wearing odd socks during matches this weekend, including the League clash at Claremont Showgrounds, to help raise much needed funds for Sarcoma research.

The West Perth Football District, Wanneroo JFC and Ocean Ridge JFC will host the fifth Annual Kalin Foley Cup on Sunday, June 19 at Heathridge Park in memory of talented Wanneroo FC player Kalin Foley who lost his battle to a rare soft tissue paediatric sarcoma called Rhabdomyosarcoma at the age of 15 in 2014 after he was diagnosed in 2012 following injury at a game.

Year 7 teams from the two junior football clubs will battle it out for the Cup from 10am on Sunday; the winners presented with a trophy by Kalin’s parents Paul and Brigette.

Kalin played his last game of football on Mother’s Day in 2012 against a team full of his new high school friends from Ocean Ridge before he underwent high strength chemotherapy over a 54 week period.

With strength and determination Kalin was declared to be in remission in July 2013 but unfortunately sarcoma has a high relapse rate and by late October that year Kalin had became very unwell and his disease returned.

Kalin’s journey inspired his local footy club and his high school friends and for the past four years the clubs within the West Perth Football District have come together to raise money for sarcoma research and provide awareness for such diseases.

Kalin’s best school mate and Wanneroo JFC teammate Bailey Chalmers who now plays for the West Perth Colts side will be holding an information session with his team at a training session this week to highlight the importance of the football round ahead. 

Local players across Perth’s North will follow the lead of West Perth Colts, Reserves and League players by donning their club sock on one foot and an odd sock on the other and also offering a gold coin donation to be collected by Team Managers.

10am – 4pm Sunday, June 19

Heathridge Park, Sail Terrace, Heathridge

Cup Match -  Bouncedown 10am

• Bouncy Castles and Face Painting

• Food stalls and cake stands

• Fundraising opportunities and auctions

Sarcoma is a group of rare and often aggressive cancerous tumours usually found in bone or soft tissue of children, adolescents and young adults and adults over the age of 55.

There are approximately 800 new cases diaganosed each year in Australia which account for approximately 1% of all adult malignancies and 15% of paediatric malignancies.

The causes of sarcoma, including whether or not there are any underlying genetic links, are not yet established. This is the reason why more research into the molecular biology and etiology is so crucial.

Team Managers are asked to collect donations from team members from the event and for the funds to to be dropped off in an envelope to the West Perth FC Office at HBF Arena.

To make a donation to Sarcoma Research contact West Perth District Manager Andrew Ridley on 0402 794 016. Cash donations will go directly to ‘Sock it to Sarcoma’.

For more information on the ‘Sock it to Sarcoma!’ organisation head to www.sockittosarcoma.org.au
Facebook: SockItToSarcoma  Twitter: @sockittosarcoma