The Cowboys and Broncos will be fighting for finals berths on Friday night – but they will also be fighting to help save Australians from contracting skin cancer.
In the lead up to National Shades Day, the Cowboys will wear special jerseys carrying the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) logo, while both the Cowboys and Broncos will sign and donate their team jerseys to the MIA following their Round 25 match.
The jerseys will be up for bids in a silent online auction held on the MIA website to help raise awareness and funds as part of a campaign to tackle the fourth most common cancer in Australia.
Of the 10,684 new cases of melanoma diagnosed each year, the majority are in Queensland.
National Shades Day will be held on Saturday, September 5, and aims to raise awareness of melanoma and skin cancer, in particular among 13-39 year olds, who are most at risk.
The day encourages people to take heed of the five effective ways to protect themselves from the sun, including: seeking shade; wearing sun-protective clothing; putting on a broad-brimmed hat; wearing wrap-around sunglasses; and applying SPF30+ broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen every two hours.
It also helps to raise much needed funds for the MIA to carry out its world-class research into the causes, detection, treatment and management of melanoma.
“It’s a simple but important message for all our fans – when you are out watching the footy make sure you slip, slop, slap and protect yourself in the sun,” NRL Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said.
“Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma in the world and we all need to play a part in helping reduce that rate.”
The Melanoma Institute Australia is the leading centre for melanoma research, clinical care and training in the world and uses this position to lessen the incidence of melanoma death in the community.
To bid for one of the signed Cowboys and Broncos jerseys in the silent auction, log on to the MIA website – www.melanoma.org.au – between Friday, September 4 and Friday, September 11.
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