“Hawthorn is proud to play for the beyondblue Cup to help raise awareness of depression and encourage people to seek help,” Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell said.
Geelong captain Tom Harley agrees, “Depression has long been a taboo topic in our society and hopefully our involvement in the beyondblue Cup will encourage people to speak out,” he said.
“beyondblue does a fantastic job in helping people and we hope that by playing for the beyondblue Cup people will understand there is somewhere they can turn for assistance.”
beyondblue Acting CEO Dr Nicole Highet said: “The beyondblue Cup is a great opportunity to raise awareness of depression among footy fans, the local community and people watching the game on TV.
“We want people to know that while depression is common, effective treatments are available and the most important thing is to get help early.”
The Minister for Mental Health, the Honourable Lisa Neville will present the Cup to the winning captain in a post match on-field presentation.
One in five people in Australia will experience depression at some stage in their lives. beyondblue aims to increase awareness of depression and reduce the associated stigma. This game specifically aims to increase awareness of depression among the AFL community.
In the lead-up to the beyondblue Cup, a free community forum on depression will be held at Skilled Stadium in Geelong at 7pm on Wednesday 23 July.
For details of the community forum call 03 9810 6100. For information on depression, anxiety and related drug and alcohol problems, effective treatments and where to get help visit www.beyondblue.org.au or call the beyondblue info line on 1300 22 4636 (local call).
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