Australians of all backgrounds and creeds will come together for Melbourne Heart FC’s inaugural Harmony Day game on Friday February 17 as Melbourne Heart FC take on Gold Coast United at AAMI Park.
Australians of all backgrounds and creeds will come together for Melbourne Heart FC’s inaugural Harmony Day game on Friday February 17 as Melbourne Heart FC take on Gold Coast United at AAMI Park.
Melbourne Heart FC Assistant Coach Ante Milicic has described Friday’s clash as a ‘must-win’ for the side as the Hyundai A-League builds towards the finals.
With six matches remaining, the race for a place in the Hyundai A-League Finals Series is certain to be tight, with only two points separating sixth place Heart from the seventh place Victory, highlighting the importance of snaring all three points this week.
“We need (momentum) at the moment. Friday has turned into must-win, let’s be honest. We really need to start winning at home, and this is a really good occasion for us,” he said.
Harmony Day is celebrated on March 21 and in 2012 the central theme for Harmony Day is Sport – Play, Engage, Inspire and recognises the important role and positive influence that sport has in fostering a sense of belonging, acceptance and understanding of other cultures.
Sue Crow GM Community said “Harmony Day is a perfect fit with Melbourne Heart’s community program and we are committed to being a welcoming and inclusive club that encourages participation with all of Victoria’s communities. Our diversity and respect for all makes us a better club.”
The Curtain raiser game is the first ever Girls with Heart game featuring an interfaith game bringing girls from Jewish, Islamic and Christian faiths and from Indigenous, European, Horn of African and Asian backgrounds together in mixed teams.
The girls first met each other at a training session last Sunday led by Westfield Matildas Captain Melissa Barbieri and Westfield W-League player Louisa Bisby.
Melissa Barbieri was thrilled with the session and said “We had a great training and bonding session on Sunday and the girls are going to have the time of their life playing on Friday night. It was privilege to speak with these fantastic women and to share some of my experiences about my journey as a multicultural female footballer.”
Images and story of the training session: http://reaganmilsteinfoundation.com/main/?p=1255
Print Quality Image Gallery (Image credits: Peter Haskin): http://s1145.photobucket.com/albums/o519/GirlsWithHeart/
Girls with Heart is part of Melbourne Heart FC’s Harmony Day game in partnership with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship who will turn AAMI Park orange, the official colour of Harmony Day.
Melbourne Heart FC’s Harmony Day game will feature Harmony Day crowd giveaways, Melbourne Heart FC player messages on the big screen, Multicultural Player mascots, small sided games featuring multicultural kids and a rousing rendition of “I am Australian” by the Balwyn High School Choir.
The inaugural Girls with Heart game is part of Melbourne Heart FC’s inaugural Harmony Day game and proudly supported by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Football Federation Australia, Football Federation Victoria’s United Through Football Program, Reagan Milstein Foundation, Maccabi Sports and Red Elephant Projects.
