June 2016 has been a busy and extraordinary month for us. As you know, in the past 5 years India Unbound in partnership with Reclink Australia has been working to build a grassroots Aussie Rules network in Mumbai. It brings together a diverse range of communities.
We invited two of the Mumbai players to Melbourne to raise awareness of the footy program and help with fund raising efforts. Reclink Australia and India Unbound need to raise $100,000 a year for three years to keep the program going and expand it further into India.
Sumesh Sawant and Saurabh Bhandekar braved Melbourne’s cold weather for 10-days at the end of June and as the photos show – they had an incredible experience. Lincoln and the guys did a range of print and radio interviews, attended footy matches, visited stadiums and met with industry representatives during their visit.
But certainly the highlight of their trip was playing in a Reclink Aussie Rules match as part of the Salvos Hawks team at Victoria Road Reserve in Hawthorn. Used to playing in India’s hot, steamy weather, the boys were valiant playing at below 10 degrees.
India Unbound is committed to giving back to the communities we work with. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.
In case you missed any of the media during their Aussie tour – you can find links to some of the interviews below.
ABC National Radio <http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rnafternoons/aussie-rules-finds-new-fans-in-mumbai/7551804>,
Bendigo Advertiser – Aussie Rules proving to be a game-changer
Geelong Advertiser – Geelong Advertiser