Pink Football Series is a Showdown for a Cause!

Kick-off Game for Halton Region’s Partners in Pink Campaign

The Halton District School Board and the Halton Catholic District School Board kick off their Partners in Pink football series when Oakville Trafalgar High School hosts Nelson High School October 2nd 2008 to raise awareness for breast cancer. This is the first of 12 games in the Halton Region for the cause. These football games are different than any other because this student-driven initiative requires the players from each team to wear pink socks and play on pink yard lines.

"This October in Halton the football players are playing to win their games, but they are also playing to win the fight against breast cancer," said Lynda Anstett, teacher at Iroquois Ridge High School in Oakville.

With the help of the community, schools are developing awareness campaigns. The pink socks worn by players, the paint for the pink yard lines, the Pink Cup awarded to the winning school, and many other fundraising items have been donated by community businesses. The theme of the campaign is pink to acknowledge the international colour for breast cancer awareness.

The Partners in Pink game originated three years ago, when an Iroquois Ridge football player, Kumail Sayeed, lost his mother to breast cancer. The Iroquois Ridge student body rallied together to support the Sayeed family. In the last three years the event has exploded with support. This year’s campaign will unite students from the entire Halton region to raise awareness for this disease that affects one of every nine women in Canada.