AFL Commissioner Sam Mostyn, Gold Coast CEO Travis Auld along with players Michael Rischitelli and Jack Martin travelled to Bamaga and Thursday Island on Monday and will spend three days with communities in the Cape delivering the No Boundaries program with staff from AFL Cape York.
Now in its third year, the program is supported by the AFL and Gold Coast and uses Australian Football as the vehicle to encourage and reward attendance at school, community participation, leadership development and promotion of a healthy and active lifestyle for young boys and girls from the region.
Over 300 students from 12 Tropical North Queensland schools will converge on Cairns on Thursday for a three-day competition to be played at Watsons Oval. The North Queensland Secondary Schools Cup is a round robin competition with the grand final played as the curtain raiser before Saturday's Richmond-Gold Coast game. The opening day of competition will see a visit from a Gold Coast player and all students will also take part in a Try-A-Trade expo as part of their week in Cairns.
On Thursday, a Suns player will tour the recently opened AFL Cape York House in Cairns. The new facility provides a place to live and learn for up to 48 indigenous students (years 8-12) from Far North Queensland while they complete secondary school.
Richmond player Daniel Grimes, assistant coach Justin Leppitsch, Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna and player Zac Smith will help in delivering a coaching and leadership session to the North Queensland AFL community.
On Friday, AFL fans in Cairns will have plenty of opportunities to meet players and officials from Richmond and the Suns. The main attraction will be the free AFL Fan Day at Cazalys Stadium from 3pm until 6pm, featuring team training sessions, autograph signings with both Richmond and Gold Coast players, the AFL Playground, a SEA FM broadcast and team merchandise stalls.
Saturday will be a full day of AFL action with the Grand Final of the North Queensland Secondary Schools Cup kicking off at Cazalys when gates open at 2pm.
The Richmond-Gold Coast match starts at 4.40pm.
Tickets for the match are on sale from Cazalys Social Club, www.ticketdirect.com.au or by phoning 1300 798 550. Prices start at just $22.50 for adults and $5.00 for kids 15 years or under. Booking fees apply. Patrons are encouraged to buy now to avoid the queues and take advantage of the free public transport.
For information about the match, public transport and parking visit cairns.aflq.com.au or call 07 4042 3000 during business hours.
The Toyota AFL Premiership match between Richmond and Gold Coast is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland, as part of a growing calendar of sporting, cultural and regional events across the state.
