Maitland Junior Football Club will hold a special round over the weekend to raise funds for the Mark Hughes Foundation (MHF) as a show of support after one of their players was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer.
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A sea of MHF beanies are expected to gather across the weekend's games through Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
In six weeks the local community has raised over $15,000 for MHF through sponsorship of games and pledges for goals scored.
Saturday will likely be the busiest day with the MiniRoos (five to 11-year-olds) starting from early morning and competition games continuing into the evening with a total of 45 games played across the weekend.
Hunter Ward is 16-years-old and started experiencing migraines at the start of the year.
In March he was rushed into emergency surgery to remove a six-centimetre brain tumour.
He was subsequently diagnosed at the John Hunter Hospital with glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer. This type of brain cancer is very rare in children and little is known about it. Since then his mother Cindy has had to stop working to support her son throughout his treatment.
Matt Stonham and Rhali Dobson will be in attendance over the weekend as MHF ambassadors. Ms Dobson is a W League legend and former Matilda while Mr Stonham is a former Maitland Junior and brain cancer survivor. Ms Dobson will be delivering the match ball to a women's game on Sunday with the club presenting a cheque the final day of the fundraiser.
Holly Moore from Maitland Junior Football Club said Hunter is a keen football fan and supports the Newcastle Jets, with veteran defender and games-record holder Jason Hoffman his favourite player.
The Jets hosted Hunter this season and he performed the coin toss at the F3 derby with the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League Men. Ms Moore said previous to the diagnosis Hunter was playing for the club but is now helping out his team as an assistant coach.
The club thanked major sponsors Tenambit Butchers, Ausfire Compliance Services, RASA Group, Maitland City Council, Redfern Finn Lifting Equipment and Turnbull Hill Lawyers.
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Ben Carr
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
