Photo Credit: Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat’s success on the field this summer has helped to deliver a surging off-field performance by the Queensland Cricket Foundation.
The Queensland Cricket Foundation’s Purpose is to make Cricket more Accessible, and all funds-raised go to the Foundation’s 4 Key Pillars;
1. Indigenous Health & Well-Being
2. All-Inclusive, Female and Multicultural programs
3. Infrastructure and Facilities
4. Supporting Experiences for Disadvantaged youth.
The on-field prowess in the 2023-24 season that featured the Brisbane Heat crowned as BBL champions for the second time in their history and the WBBL team finishing as runners-up, had an off-field response in a record return for the QCF.
Funds raised across the season came from a variety of sources, including events, on-line auctions, at-match raffles, sale of pickets at Allan Border Field and corporate and individual donations.
Highlights included $18,000 raised from online auctions of signed WBBL and BBL First Nations playing shirts, with each player from the respective squads signing and donating one of their match shirts from the KFC Big Bash League and Weber Women’s Big Bash League seasons.
This was the second season that the First Nations shirts had been auctioned, with record sales generated, including notable individual purchases for the likes of Heat BBL captain Usman Khawaja ($1452), Marnus Labuschagne ($2,146) and WBBL Heat captain Jess Jonassen ($462).
The $18,000 raised has supported several Indigenous cricket initiatives, including the recent Stan Alberts Shield community cricket competition, Metro First Nations Gala Day and Engagement Carnival with Indigenous Schools in the Metro Regions through Woolworths Cricket Blast.
Corporate donations from Brisbane Heat partners included more than $2500 from Jimmy Rods Mobile Barber that donated all proceeds from $30 haircuts at WBBL and BBL games; in excess of $2000 from the Primo BBL Food Truck that operated at the park at the Gabba and Gallus Partners, a major supporter of the QCF and Summer of Cricket Lunch Sponsorship which donated WBBL and BBL match day tickets to disadvantaged youth across regional Queensland worth more than $2000.
Queensland Cricket General Manager Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Pete Lock, congratulated Heat fans and supporters for their generosity during the summer.
“We enjoyed a great season on and off the field and it is a very fulfilling to be able to deliver tangible outcomes through the fund-raising process that was backed at every turn by the fans and our corporate partners,’’ he said.
“The Heat helped generate valuable funds, and awareness, to complement the great work being accomplished by the Queensland Cricket Foundation.”
“The funding raised enabled the QCF to generously support several initiatives linked to its purpose to make cricket more accessible.
“These included a contribution to the development of new nets at Springfield Cricket Club, sponsorship of the Jodie Purves Scholarship for a young female cricketer from regional Queensland, a donation to the Valleys All Abilities program for children with an intellectual disability, a donation to the Nepalese Winter Tournament and funding the Blind Bats all-inclusive sports day featuring Ian Healy,’’ Lock said.
As well as raising a total of $166,000 towards its four main pillars in 2023, the QCF also donated over $29,000 through in-kind donations across membership, ticketing, merchandise, and corporate hospitality.
The Foundation helped many organisations and charities such as:
– Headspace
– Hayley Richmond
– Big Dry Friday
– Legacy
– Family of League Foundation
– RUNDIPG
– Carbine Club
– Taverners Queensland
– REIQ
– Marburg Cricket Club
– RUOK
– West End State School
– Attitude Dance Academy
– Mater Little Miracles
– Mother of Boys
– Relief for Ratty
– MND Foundation
– Juiced TV
– Ovarian Cancer Australia
To Donate please go to : https://asf.org.au/projects/queensland-cricket-association/queensland-cricket-foundation?modalOpen=false
To apply for funding from the Foundation please head to : https://www.qldcricket.com.au/about/qld-cricket-foundation
Name of Author: Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat are an Australian professional cricket team competing in the Big Bash League (BBL), representing both men’s and women’s cricket. Based in Brisbane, Queensland, the Heat succeeded the Queensland Bulls, who played in the former KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. The team wears a teal uniform and plays at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, known as The Gabba.
