Heroes Program kicks off for 2011

Since partnering with the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) in 2010, LUCRF Super has been proactively providing superannuation education to Australian footballers whilst supporting some of the many community initiatives that the PFA are directly involved in.

This year, LUCRF Super continued its support for the PFA Heroes Program, which is now in its third year of operation in Victoria and, for the first time, New South Wales. The program is an exciting and innovative initiative which promotes student leadership and community building where students have the opportunity to learn about and demonstrate the important individual and collective values that foster success in professional football and set the building blocks for thriving communities.

A total of 38 Australian footballers have dedicated themselves to mentoring 200 students within 8 schools in disadvantaged areas. Each mentor is responsible for modelling behaviour consistent with program themes, sharing experiences, giving advice and guiding students through the activities.

The program is divided into 8 modules, which promote values such as respect, fair play, pride in representation and leadership. Upon completion, students demonstrate their learning to their communities through a ‘We Can Be Heroes’ Football Festival event that is run by students for students, in the form of a football tournament involving teachers and parents, a series of football activities for younger students or a visit to other community groups with a travelling football road show.

Recently LUCRF Super attended a lesson at Altona Secondary College.
The lesson, called ‘Road to Respect’, promoted fair play through a series of games designed to facilitate team bonding and respect amongst group members. Students were also briefed on the pre-game fair play ritual prior to the activities, where they shook hands with their opposing team members, before participating in a question and answer session to reflect back and share their thoughts on the lesson.

It has been fantastic to see the students enjoying themselves in an environment which encourages them to be the best that they can be. The feedback has been consistently positive and LUCRF Super looks forward to the outcomes from this year’s program.

To read more about all the good work PFA and its members do, visit www.pfa.net.au

Click here to watch the PFA Heroes Program video