By Mikayla Van Loon
The futsal community in the Yarra Ranges is strong, and they have banded together with other instate futsal communities to help acquire donations to send to a remote community.
Having received a message from a police officer who is also a futsal coach, who lives and works in Aurukun, a small town in far north Queensland, Mount Eveluyn-based Caro Futsal owner Andre Caro decided to help provide shoes for the team.
“[Steve’s] running a football program for Indigenous kids and they had no shoes. So they were just playing in bare feet on concrete,” he said.
“And then he contacted me asking if I could organise a campaign to get shoe donations.”
Speaking more in depth with Steve about the PCYC Aurukun Youth Centre on a podcast episode, Andre learnt “they just open the doors every day for kids to play futsal instead of being on the streets”.
Putting a call out to all the teams who use the Pro Futsal Centre in Mount Evelyn to donate old or new shoes, Andre said they were able to gather 40 pairs of shoes last month.
“I’m very pleased. I think it’s a good number. They have 70 kids so we’re going to try to keep on going with this campaign.
“We’ll try to send them shoes once a month at the start of each month but I’m very pleased with the help of the community.”
Although having intended to send the first lot of shoes to Aurukun at the end of February, Andre said he pushed it out until Wednesday 8 March because there were more donations to come in.
Bringing together both his passions, Andre said working alongside Steve and the Aurukun community has been wonderful.
“I’ve always wanted to do some sort of charity thing. This combines the two things I like the most, futsal and this charity thing I wanted to get involved with.”
Shoe donations can also be sent directly to 5 Kang Kang Road, Aurukun Police Station, Aurukun, Queensland 4892.
