Rabbitohs Win The Inaugural Budget Direct Footy Charity Championship
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are the triumphant winners of the Budget Direct Footy Charity Championship, winning a substantial $100,000 donation for Souths Cares.
The inaugural championship has seen Budget Direct leverage its proud sponsorship of three major rugby league teams including the Rabbitohs, Dolphins, and Melbourne Storm, in a unique competition that tracked the teams’ regular season clashes, in order to win their share of $205,000 in donations for their nominated charities from Budget Direct. The hard-fought championship has seen teams battling on the field not just for premiership points, but for significant contributions to community causes.
The Rabbitohs' victory means a crucial boost for Souths Cares, which supports disadvantaged and marginalised youth and their families, through capacity-building programs addressing education, training, health, and employment needs, particularly within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Their win was celebrated at Maroubra Beach today with a special cheque presentation ceremony that coincided with a Budget Direct brand activation for the current ‘Splashdown’ advertising campaign.
Jonathan Kerr, Chief Growth Officer at Budget Direct, reflected on the championship’s purpose and celebrated the Rabbitohs’ victory. “At Budget Direct, we want our sponsorships to create genuine win-wins for teams, fans, and communities, particularly for charities doing critical work where it matters most.
“Witnessing the South Sydney Rabbitohs claim the Championship title and deliver an incredible $100,000 to Souths Cares is a truly fantastic moment. We're immensely proud to make this major donation to Souths Cares so they can continue to expand the outreach of their positive community programs, and we extend our warmest congratulations to the Rabbitohs."
Blake Solly, CEO of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, celebrated the win and donation. "The entire Rabbitohs’ organisation is incredibly proud to have won the very first Budget Direct Footy Charity Championship. The $100,000 donation means the world to us and will make an incredible impact on the work we do through Souths Cares.
“Souths Cares’ work delivers transformational outcomes in education, health and employment for some of the most disadvantaged and marginalised youth in our area. It is difficult to put into words the profound difference a donation of this size will make to the outcomes Souths Cares achieves on a daily basis. I would particularly like to thank Budget Direct for their vision in creating the Charity Championship and their enormous support of Souths Cares.”
The Dolphins secured a spirited second place and a $50,000 donation to be shared between their charities, Chameleon Housing and Yalari. Melbourne Storm locked in third place and won $25,000 for the Starlight Children's Foundation.
The Championship will see a total of $205,000 injected into vital community charities plus three lucky footy fans, one aligned to each team, won $10,000 for themselves with an additional $10,000 donated to each fan’s nominated charity.
