Eccles Rugby Club’s annual aussie rules footy tournament, the Movember Cup, has raised almost £5,000 for men’s health.
The event on Saturday November 9 was hosted in memory of a former member who tragically lost their battle with cancer.
The tournament was set up by the Manchester Mosquitoes, a local Men’s Australian Rules football club who have been running the competition for 10 years.
Eccles Rugby Club generously provided their facilities, with club volunteers helping manage the day to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Club Secretary, Zac Greed said: “We’ve been in Eccles for the past three years, it’s a huge club with four pitches which means we can get more teams involved and raise more money.
“We plan to stay in Eccles, we have a great setup there with the rugby club and they really look after us.”
He continued: “I feel proud to help organise it, it was only a small handful of us who put it together, but we couldn’t do it without the generosity of Eccles Rugby Club and obviously all the teams that participated, it was a really great day and great cause.”
Shohan Khan, player, coach, and social media manager for the Manchester Mosquitoes, described the Movember Cup as “a perfect blend of sport, purpose, and impact.”
He added, “It’s an amazing way to bring people together to support men’s health while celebrating the Aussie Rules community. From my understanding, there’s no real event like this outside of Australia.”
Shohan Khan on the feeling of playing at the Movember Cup.
The competition brought together teams from four different countries with 400 players taking part to support the Movember Foundation’s efforts to raise awareness for men’s health issues, including prostate cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.
Zac said: “We had teams from London, Scotland and Ireland taking part.
“We also had interest from Paris and Amsterdam this year but unfortunately we couldn’t get the teams across for the big day.”
Shohan said: “The record-breaking turnout and the huge growth in the women’s competition were amazing to see. It just showed how much this event has grown.”
This year’s competition saw West London Wildcats dominate, winning both the men’s and women’s divisions, which saw the tournament feature high-energy matches throughout the day.
The event also received support from a range of local businesses and volunteers who made it all possible.
The Manchester-based sushi restaurant, Rolled, sponsored the event and auctioned their free sushi for life gold card, raising a huge £560.
The Movember Cup is more than just a rugby tournament – it’s a community effort to raise awareness and funds for important health issues affecting men.
As donations continue to roll in, the event looks set to continue growing in both size and impact in future years.
Zac emphasised the importance of looking after mental health and how the Movember Cup plays a key role in keeping the conversation going, helping to raise awareness.
As he added: “There’s someone on every team who’s had personal experiences with cancer or mental health, whether that be a family member or personally. So it’s such a great cause.”
Shohan said: “I’ve had close friends, family, and even myself face mental health challenges. Family members have been affected by cancer as well.
“Knowing our efforts could help others avoid similar struggles or get the support they need makes this event so rewarding.”
He also highlighted the camaraderie and unique atmosphere of the day: “The energy was electric… whether it was on the field, at the raffle, or the auction, you could feel that collective spirit of everyone involved. It’s a perfect mix of competition and camaraderie between friendly rivals from other clubs.”
The £5,000 was raised through entry fees, raffle ticket sales, and auctioned items will be donated to Movember.
Movember is the leading charity for men’s health, supporting causes such as mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.
For those interested in supporting the Movember campaign further, donations can still be made online here.
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