The Vodafone Warriors have capped a memorable year on and off the field by tonight being named the NRL Club of the Year at the second annual One Community Awards held at Luna Park in Sydney.
Vying with fellow finalists Gold Coast, Parramatta and Penrith, the Vodafone Warriors won the accolade in a year notable for the club launching its Vodafone Warriors One Community initiative, highlighted by the introduction of the Warriors Against Bullying (WAB) and Rugby League Reads programmes.
It followed acknowledgement of the club’s community efforts a year earlier when vice-captain Ruben Wiki was awarded the Ken Stephen Medal as the NRL player who made the most outstanding contribution to the community through rugby league.
Trying to make it back-to-back successes for that accolade tonight was Micheal Luck, the Vodafone Warriors’ 2006-07 Clubman of the Year, who was appointed as the first Vodafone Warriors One Community ambassador.
Vodafone Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah was ecstatic about tonight’s award for the club.
“It’s fantastic recognition for us and for everyone who has put so much effort into making this concept work,” he said.
“It’s a special tribute to the work Petrece Kesha has done as our One Community Manager and also to Dean Bell who did so much to get our community initiatives up and running, especially with the Warriors Against Bullying programme he had put together with Wigan and then made it work for our community.
“Winning this award also helps to repay so many sponsors who have done so much to make this work, not least Vodafone which provides unbelievable support in so many ways and also Suzuki, which donated our One Community car.
“While we are first and foremost a professional rugby league organisation, we have always appreciated the role we should play in society and we understand the way we affect people’s lives.
“There are ways we can make a difference and that’s what Vodafone Warriors One Community is all about.
“The award shows we have taken some important steps but there is so much more we can do and want to do.”
Under the Vodafone Warriors One Community initiative, the club’s community-related activities and programmes are now run by a dedicated team.
With its own identity through a distinctive logo, Vodafone Warriors One Community is also visible around the city with its sign-written Suzuki SX4.
Apart from introducing the educational anti-bullying and reading programmes, Vodafone Warriors One Community also embraced a rang of public appearances involving the players from both the club’s National Rugby League and National Youth Competition squads.
Additionally, the club’s charity-related activities fall under the One Community arm. The central focus in this area is on the Vodafone Warriors’ two major charity partners Kidz First Children’s Hospital in Manukau City and DebRA New Zealand (Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association).
“Our players have an exemplary attitude to the work they do in the community and the One Community Club of the Year award clearly highlights that,” said Scurrah.
“We know our players derive a lot of pleasure from working with all sorts of people in the community. It helps to improve their life skills and also demonstrates that a franchise like ours can and should be more than just a sporting organisation.”
Through Vodafone Warriors One Community, Luck has been an ambassador for DebRa this year while Wairangi Koopu filled a similar role for Kidz First.
Players did more than 1500 hours’ community work during the 2008 season and more than $40,000 was raised for charity partners and other community groups.
As winners of the Telstra One Community NRL Club of the Year award, the Vodafone Warriors receive $10,000 to help with their community programme and/or staff development training for community relations staff.
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