FORMER rugby league stars Matt Cooper and Brent Tate will visit Tamworth this Saturday as part of the Holden Road to Origin tour, bringing the excitement and anticipation of the 2016 Holden State of Origin Series to local footy fans.
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Tamworth is the sixth stop in the two-week regional NSW/Queensland tour which allows fans to meet these former State Of Origin stars.
It’s also a great opportunity for all local sporting clubs to come on down and find out more about the Holden Home Ground Advantage program that provides grants of up to $100,000 twice a year.
The excitement will kick off at 10.30am at the Minor League grounds at Riverside.
Having donned the NSW Blues jersey 13 times, former St George Illawara 243-gamer and seven-time Australian centre Cooper knows a bit about footy fever.
“Rugby league is the lifeblood of many sporting-mad communities, particularly those like Tamworth. I can’t wait to visit, meet the fans and check out their up and coming footy talent,” Cooper said.
Scott Kensell of Kensell’s Holden said the tour had become a much-loved fixture in the lead-up to the Holden State of Origin.
“This is our third year of running the Road to Origin and this year we are excited to include Tamworth on the tour to bring Originfever to fans who would otherwise not have the opportunity to get a taste of the action,” Kensell said.
“Some of the NRL’s biggest and best players began their careers in regional Australian towns so it’s great to be able to celebrate our great sport at a grassroots level,” he added.
As a thankyou to the West Tamworth Lions Rugby League Football Club for hosting the Road to Origin, Kensell’s Holden will present the club with a Holden Home Ground Advantage grant of $1000 to put towards new equipment, uniforms or other upgrades.
“Local sporting clubs unite communities and we are committed to supporting them through our Home Ground Advantage program which, twice a year, offers clubs the opportunity to apply for a share of $250,000 worth of grants – including one of $100,000,” Kensell said.
The Home Ground Advantage program was initiated by Holden in 2014 as a 10-year commitment to supporting grassroots sporting clubs.
Applications open June 1 (www.holden.com.au/homegroundadvantage).