VAFA TO SUPPORT CASEY TUTUNGI

The football community was saddened by the news that player Casey Tutungi was left a quadriplegic after an innocuous incident playing for South Barwon in the Geelong Football League. VAFA CEO Michael Sholly has dedicated his weekly editorial to the issue of insurance coverage of our players and how we as a community football competition can assist a fellow player in a small way. Read Michael Sholly’s editorial below and see ways that your club can assist. 
All of the football industry was devastated to hear the news last week confirming that South Barwon player Casey Tutungi became a quadriplegic after receiving an innocuous bump in a Geelong Football League match.  It was a pure accident. He had just picked up the ball, lifted his head and contacted his opponent’s chest.
Immediately Casey lost all feeling in his body and within 10 minutes an ambulance arrived and he was flown to the Austin hospital.  He was placed in an induced coma and the following day his family released a statement confirming he had suffered severe damage to his spinal cord and to his fourth and fifth vertebrae.
Casey was supported at the ground by his fiancée, Bridget, who is expecting their first child later this year.
Casey was an outstanding footballer who played with Geelong in the VFL and represented the GFL in their recent AFL Vic Country interleague matches. The VAFA and AFL Vic Country have such a close relationship which was further strengthened only two weeks ago with our three magnificent representative games.
At the March Members Meeting with all VAFA Presidents, I raised the subject of quadriplegic and paraplegic insurance for players in the VAFA.  This would cost each VAFA team approximately $600 or $20 per player to get cover.  At this time all clubs had set their subscriptions for the year and a non- budgeted item which would cost an average club around $2400 is a sizeable expense.  I took out a cover note to insure all players in the practice matches, and the clubs had to reply by the end of March to decide whether they would take up this insurance.  
I am pleased to confirm that every VAFA club agreed to purchase this insurance and for the 2013 season every player in the VAFA is covered with $1 million of quadriplegia and paraplegia insurance.  This can provide some comfort to the player, his family and the club, knowing that there will be some support for them if something tragic occurs, like it did to Casey.
However, as a football community I feel we still have a responsibility to Casey and his family and believe that we all should show our support for him.  To facilitate this the Board is requesting that every player, umpire, official, volunteer and supporter of the VAFA offer, as a minimum, a gold coin to assist in Casey’s recovery.  With over 5000 players taking the field this week and thousands more supporting the VAFA, we should be able to show our respect to a footballing friend who needs help. 
Clubs will be asked to collect the coins from their players, possibly do a lap of the ground to collect from the supporters and forward to the VAFA.  As an association we will then co-ordinate the money and ensure that his family knows that it comes from every member of the VAFA’s 75 clubs and community.
– Michael Sholly
We would like each club to ask a key player within your club to lead this appeal in support of a fellow player.  They could do this by asking each player to donate a gold coin at training on Thursday this week and players in Club XVIII or other levels who may not train can make a donation on Saturday. 
At your game on the weekend, it would be appreciated if some reserves players could do a lap of the oval during the second quarter of the senior game to ask for donations from supporters as well.  If you are having a lunch, it would be good if a collection could be made at that event as well.
We would like all clubs to put the money collected into your account and then your club treasurer can transfer the money to the VAFA accounts as per their normal process entitling the transfer Casey Tutungi. As we are making the presentation to Casey via the South Barwon Football Club, we would like mention our 75 clubs so please ensure the donation is made to the VAFA and not other accounts for the appeal.  We are sure that all clubs will be able to support this worthy cause.