Pedaling for their future: Suns to ride for new facilities

MEMBERS of the Surf Coast Suns Football and Netball Club are pedaling their bikes this month to raise awareness within the community of their need for their own facilities.

Led by Suns fitness coach and parent Nathan Hudson who is riding a 1000km unsupported journey from Sydney back to their training ground at Polwarth Oval in Torquay North, the Suns are hoping to make some noise and generate some conversations about the future of their “young and proud club”.

The club’s junior players are also jumping on their bikes and are riding as far as they can to support Nathan and assist with the overall fundraising.

The junior team that rides the furthest will win a donated all-inclusive Bounce Geelong package, while the individual top fundraiser will win a new bike courtesy of De Grandi Cycle and Sport.

A total of 80 per cent of all the funds raised during the campaign will go back into the club to support the new facility initiative, while 20 per cent of the funding will support the Maycock family who are currently dealing with hardship and helped to start the netball club.

Mr Hudson (who is due back on Friday from his ride) said that the 1000km journey was just a small way of raising awareness and using exercise as a motivation for others.

“I just thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to raise funds for the club… we are pretty young, and we aren’t super financially established.

“We don’t really have facilities that we are able to use… we can share with the other clubs up there, but we don’t have our own space to utilise… we have to work in with the other people to get the space each time for training and games.

“We’ve got 800 members; we need those facilities for when there is inclement weather or people need to get changed or for even something as simple as people using a bathroom.

“We want to let the Surf Coast Shire Council know that we are being serious about this, we need it for the future of our club.”

Mr Hudson said he was incredibly proud to hear that all the kids back home were also getting their pedals moving.

“I’m so stoked they are getting out there and are motivated to do it.

“The club is a real community… it’s about everyone getting together, having fun and raising money.

“I just wanted to use my ride as a tool to motivate them to also give it a go.

“It’s super humbling and it will no doubt go a long way in us making a bit of noise.”

Surf Coast Suns president Jay Williams said he was incredibly proud of both Nathan and the junior players efforts to pedal for a better future.

“The senior football/netball program and proper facilities are ultimately our long-term goals… Nathan’s ride is the perfect symbol of our hard work to achieve them.

“It’s vital to have people like Nathan who want to go that extra mile and take others on board with them, like he has with the kids on this occasion.

“It’s pretty fitting what he is doing… it’s a physical sign and a metaphor of all the hard work that our club is doing behind the scenes.

“We’ve got 18 teams and 800 kids at the moment… there’s heaps of participation and getting these facilities will go a long way in sustaining a positive future for our club.”

Those wishing to support Nathan, the junior players and the Surf Coast Suns club with their initiative can donate at gofund.me/9296bc01