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WESTERN FORCE MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday, 16 December 2014
RugbyWA and the Western Force have entered into a major partnership to promote Alcohol.Think Again.
The partnership with State Government’s health promotion body, Healthway, will promote the importance of drinking in moderation and raise awareness around the dangers of excessive alcohol use, in addition to encouraging other important health initiatives.
Through the agreement, the Alcohol.Think Again health message will feature across the back of the Western Force playing jersey and training strip. Alcohol.Think Again will receive naming rights to the Alcohol.Think Again Summer Sevens Series, and all levels of women’s rugby, including the Alcohol.Think Again Women’s competition, and Alcohol.Think Again WA Women’s Sevens and Alcohol.Think Again Women’s WA State representative sides.
Nearly one in 13 Western Australians drink every day, and nearly one in four drink at levels that places them at risk of alcohol-related harm and ill-health in their lifetime. More than 10 people per week die in Western Australia as a result of alcohol-related conditions.
RugbyWA CEO Mark Sinderberry says the partnership will help drive an important community message.
“As an active member of our community, it’s important that we – as people and as an organisation –get behind positive campaigns like Alcohol.Think Again,” he said.
“Our game has a number of key values, including respecting your opponent and the referee, and the ability to play hard for 80 minutes and then socialise with your opponent after the match.
“However, it’s important that we’re playing our role in preventing risky or excessive drinking and educating on the dangers associated with it, as well as promoting the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
“We have an extremely passionate rugby community in Western Australia, and anything that we can do to promote their health and safety – and the community more broadly – through partnerships like this with Healthway and Alcohol.Think Again, is certainly a positive move.”
Healthway Chair, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, said: “We are delighted to welcome RugbyWA back as one of our major sports partners.
“Sport provides important role models for the community and for kids and it is fantastic to see another high profile sport promoting the message about low risk drinking and working to create a healthy environment for everyone involved.
“We know that people’s attitudes and behaviours towards alcohol use are influenced in sporting environments.
“The Healthway partnership with RugbyWA will support more information getting out to the community about the short- and long-term risks associated with alcohol use and provide an opportunity to further our work to change the drinking culture.
“Sport has been linked with a culture of high risk drinking but that is changing rapidly now with almost all of the major teams and sports in WA promoting Alcohol.Think Again or other health messages in partnership with Healthway.
“RugbyWA and the Western Force will be joining the West Australian Cricket Association, Perth Wildcats, West Coast Fever and Perth Heat all promoting Alcohol.Think Again and we look forward to working with them.”