Hitting the halfway mark for men’s health - Tim Paine and Moises Henriques talk Movember

Tim Paine and Moises Henriques talk Movember

The Movember Cricket Association fundraising tally has hit more than $120,000, with Movember and Cricket Australia’s (CA) partnership efforts hitting the halfway mark for 2019.

More than 90 cricketing organisations and clubs are taking on the Movember challenge in the bid to tackle men’s health issues, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

This year marks the twelfth year of the partnership between CA and Movember, with the men’s health charity returning to the Gabba as the Official Charity Partner for the first test of the summer.

Movember Ambassadors Mitch Starc, Tim Paine, and Moises Henriques are fronting the cause this year, with the latter pair sharing their views on why it’s tough to start the conversation:

To view or donate to the Movember Cricket Association, click here.

 Recognising the importance of the cause, members of CA’s leadership team have thrown their support behind the cause:

 Australian Men’s Test Captain and Movember Ambassador Tim Paine said:

 “I think it is hard for men to share how we’re feeling. I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly, I think we’re all different.”

 “I suspect over the years men have been reluctant to show sort of any sign of weakness. Something you tend to keep to yourself and just battle away at yourself.

“It’s important now that men recognise that it’s important to have difficult conversations, meaningful conversations.

“Again, I think it’s important that you do find those people that you can have those conversations with.”

 Australian Men’s National Cricket Team Head Coach Justin Langer said:

“Cricket is not just about making runs, taking wickets or winning games. It’s about people, being a team and ensuring sure everybody stays healthy, and just as importantly, happy on and off the field.”

 “The work being done by Movember and Cricket Australia in the mental health and well-being space is to be commended. It’s a very topical subject right now, as it should be.

“Being honest with ourselves and our friends is sometimes all it takes, and that’s what Movember is all about, encouraging men to be brave and have that first conversation.

 “As a coach I am very proud players have the confidence and strength to speak when they need to, and that they are being listened to.”

 Movember Country Director APAC Rachel Carr said:

 “Movember has received a remarkable level of support from the Aussie cricketing community over the years, and we honoured to be working with Cricket Australia for the 12th consecutive year.”

 “Most importantly, we have recently begun to see the conversation amongst our young men change and evolve in a really positive way. On average throughout their lives, 1 in 8 Australian men will experience depression and 1 in 5 men will experience anxiety.

 “In particular, we’ve seen our sporting stars taking action for their mental health by speaking up and stepping away from the game before they reach a point of crisis. This sets a strong example not just to young cricketers, but also to men around the country who might going through a tough time themselves.”

 Executive General Manager of National Teams Ben Oliver said:

 “I’m really excited that CA has been a long-term partner of Movember.  The work they do to raise awareness is very important.”

 "As a sporting organisation, we're not immune to health and wellbeing problems, and we've got to continue to find ways to understand the issues. We're doing all we can to support players and staff.

"Mental health is a complex issue that unfortunately impacts many young men and women in our society, and that’s what Movember is all about, raising the awareness that so many men are dealing with this issue.”

Executive General Manager of High Performance Drew Ginn said:

 “Our coaches and support staff are more aware than ever about making sure we’re looking after and caring for our players, and that they’re well prepared for whatever opportunity arises.”

“From my experiences as an athlete, speaking up about your health really wasn’t the norm, so we’ve certainly come a long way.

 “I’ve seen first-hand how crucial it’s been for someone to speak up and have a conversation, not just in mental health cases, but also around cancer.

“I know a lot of men don’t get checked when they need to, and it’s incredibly important that we use our platform as a national sport to spread the word on how having a conversation or getting professional advice can make such a big difference.”

Executive General Manager of Fan Engagement Anthony Everard said:

“One of the highlights of Movember will be the Gabba Test, it’s the first Test of the summer played in Movember and is fundamental in our partnership with Movember.”

“It’s a great opportunity for cricket which has a significant national platform to make a positive impact on social causes. In this case, there is no more important cause than men’s health, and encouraging men to have conversations with each other.

“I think that cricket has a responsibility to have a voice and play a role in these issues that are affecting all Australian’s. It is aligned with our purpose of uniting and inspiring communities, something that we take very seriously.

“For the last couple of years, a gold coin donation has been required for admission on day five of Test Matches. All funds raised on that day are donated to charity and we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars around the country for the causes we support.”

Executive General Manager of Community Cricket Belinda Clark said:

“The Movember campaign is a great opportunity for clubs across Australia to raise awareness and funds to support men’s health. Australian Cricket raised $340,000 last year and that was largely due to the strong involvement of cricket clubs.”

“As the game continues to be more diverse and inclusive at all levels it’s important we all pitch in and encourage men to take good care of their health and well-being.

“The Movember Foundation is a very important partner and the way they go about spreading the message about the importance of men’s health is really clever. It empowers everyone to get involved and care for our community.”

Executive General Manager of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Karina Keisler said:

“Thanks to the generosity of our cricket community, more than $340,000 was raised by the Movember Cricket Association in 2018, a substantial amount.”

“The money raised goes towards funding vital programs which focus on suicide prevention, mental health, testicular cancer and prostate cancer.

 “The Movember relies heavily on donations from the community and we express our gratitude to the individuals and clubs who continue to support such an important cause.”