Plympton Bulldogs Junior Soccer Club raise funds for Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) annually, and it’s becoming more and more popular each year.

The Bulldogs took part in the Network’s Pink Sports Day which sees sporting clubs and community groups wear pink socks throughout their event to raise awareness and funding for breast cancer research.

Claire Lewis has been the Junior Coordinator at the Park Terrace Club for two years now and the event is quickly becoming a tradition at Plympton.

“We first participated three years ago, with the main fundraiser being from a sausage sizzle at a training session,” said Claire.

“That year I was the Team Manager for my youngest son’s MiniRoos team and arranged for the team to play in pink socks for their Mother’s Day game”.

“In addition to the pink socks, we also set up a stall and sold cold drinks, cupcakes and treats that were all donated by parents.

“We raised approximately $160 in our first year.”

The event’s second year grew to having all teams purchasing and wearing pink socks for when all teams played at home on one weekend.

The cause also attracted attention from Channel Ten with their live weather broadcast being conducted from the Bulldogs’ training session which was a sure-fire winner in terms of promotion.

All barbeque proceeds from this day were donated to BCNA – a figure which was estimated at $540, a huge increase on the previous year.

This brings us to the event’s third year held last weekend, September 17 and 18; Claire says the sight at the Plympton Sports and Recreation was a joy to behold.

“The Club turned into a sea of pink with Pink Ladies in all directions,” said Claire.

“Pink socks on all of our players, pink lady tattoos on our volunteers and one team manager going all out in fabulous pink accessories cheering on her team from the sidelines.”

As well as achieving a higher level of visible awareness, this year’s event raised record funding.

“With the help of promotion from the FFSA we raised a total of $765.45 this year,” said Claire.

“This total was helped largely by Noarlunga United’s Under 13 Junior State League team who ran their own collection tins to donate to this cause.”

Claire says it’s an event which has become ingrained in the Plympton Bulldogs culture and it’s a tradition they’ll seek to continue.

“While we may not have a specific driver behind our support of BCNA, we do know that almost every person we meet has been affected by cancer in some way,” said Claire.

“We are very proud to be able to do our part to raise funds for cancer research and breast cancer nurses to support those who have been touched by this disease.

“We intend to continue this tradition annually to continue to promote breast cancer awareness and raise valuable funds for continued research to find a cure.”

Football Federation South Australia congratulates Plympton Bulldogs on this fantastic event and commends Noarlunga United for their support.

Written by Luke Sale