Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Sydney Roosters may be fierce rivals on the field, but off it, they share a common ground when it comes to their mental fitness.
The two clubs will go head to head at Allianz Stadium on Saturday 27th July for the third annual Gotcha4Life Cup in Round 21 of the Telstra Premiership with the aim being to spark conversations about the importance of building mental fitness.
The Sea Eagles, sponsored by Shaw and Partners Financial Services, and the Roosters will again promote the important message of building emotional muscles, and having the skills to reach out, speak up and connect through meaningful conversations when times are hard.
“Making sure people are mentally fit to get through life's ups and downs is the conversation we need to be having right now with everything that’s going on around us, and to get those stats to zero," Gotcha4Life Founder Gus Worland explains.
“This year’s Cup is going to be the biggest yet! At Allianz stadium, watching friends and Ambassadors in both teams battle it out, a half time celebrity match, the sale of Gotcha4Life Mateship bands. The energy will be electric, raising vital funds and awareness about the importance of building mental fitness,” Gus says.
"At Gotcha4Life, we teach people the skills to build the emotional muscles they need to open up about how they're feeling, and importantly, to seek help when they need it.
Gotcha4Life Cup
"We want to get our message out to as many people as we can, and to have the invaluable support of the event sponsors, alongside the dedication of the two clubs committed to our cause, is incredible. Every dollar raised contributes to developing and delivering mental fitness workshops, tools and resources that will help shape a more mentally fit future for us all.”
Sea Eagles Captain Daly Cherry-Evans said he was proud to support Gotcha4Life as one of their ambassadors.
I have witnessed first-hand the tremendous and important work that the team at Gotcha4Life do in the community
Daly Cherry-Evans Sea Eagles Captain
“The NRL is arguably one of the most brutal sports in the world and as team-mates, we all play and work hard to achieve success.
“Mental Health is one area everyone needs to focus and work hard on too. It’s about looking out for each other, be it your friends, colleagues, or family.
“A phone call, a visit, or just meeting for a coffee to see how they are doing is such an easy thing to do.
“Take that step and tell them you are there for them. A simple conversation can make a world of difference.”
Shaw and Partners Financial Services will again this year, donate $100,000 to the Gotcha4Life Foundation, which will assist in expanding the foundation’s mental fitness programs around Australia, and for keeping the online Mental Fitness Gym, free for all.
The Gotcha4Life logo will be proudly displayed on the socks and jerseys of both the Sydney Roosters and the Manly Sea Eagles teams in unity, with jerseys being auctioned off after the game to raise more funds for Gotcha4Life.
You can place a bit on our Sea Eagles jerseys here.
You can learn more about Gotcha4Life here - https://www.gotcha4life.org/