Thousands of sports fans are being encouraged to ‘get their beanies on’ this week at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium as part of the NRL’s Round 12 ‘Beanie for Brain Cancer Round’.
Sports Minister Stuart Ayres said the stadium will don its own three-metre high beanie and be renamed ‘Beanie for Brain Cancer Stadium’ for a week to support the annual Mark Hughes Foundation fundraiser.
“I have no doubt passionate Knights fans will rally behind this initative,” Mr Ayres said.
“Every ticket sold for this Sunday’s Newcastle Knights match against the Cronulla Sharks will urge fans to buy a beanie to help fight a disease that sadly takes a life in Australia every seven hours.”
The Mark Hughes Foundation (MHF) was formed by former Knights player Mark Hughes and his family after Mark was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013.
“As there is no cure for brain cancer, raising money to fund research is critical. It kills more children than any other disease and more adults under-40 than any other cancer. These statistics need to change,” Mark Hughes said.
“My wife Kirralee and I created Beanie for Brain Cancer while I was fighting the disease, because many brain cancer patients wear beanies to cover scars, bandages, hair loss and to keep warm.”
Knights CEO Philip Gardner said: “The Knights are very proud to be in partnership with MHF and we urge people to dig deep on Sunday to raise as much money as possible.”
Venues NSW CEO Paul Doorn said: “I’d like to publicly thank McDonald Jones Homes for giving up their naming rights to our stadium. Around 60,000 people will see the sign every day, as well as another 320,000 plus viewers watching Sunday’s game.”
All money raised during the Beanie for Brain Cancer Round goes directly to brain cancer research and patient support.
To purchase tickets to this Sunday's Newcastle Knights v Cronulla Sharks clash during the NRL's Beanie for Brain Cancer Round, please visit Ticketmaster.