The Coal Miners Cup is an institution in Gunnedah – it’s been running every year since 1998, bringing kids from small country schools together to play rugby league.
This year, hundreds of children from schools across NSW’s north west mining region came together at the John Longmuir Playing Fields for a day that was about far more than competition.
Instead, the focus was on teamwork, making new friends and giving children the chance to play who may not normally get the opportunity.
Those values are exactly why Event Organiser Ross Whittaker started the event and why he continues to work tirelessly each year to make it happen, building support and bringing sponsors on board to ensure the day continues to grow.
The Mining and Energy Union has been a major sponsor of the event since the beginning and this year was joined by Shaw & Bunner Legal, along with long-time supporters the Newcastle Knights and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
St Xaviers Primary School in Gunnedah has been taking students to the Coal Miners Cup every year since the beginning.
Jessica Stevenson, Sports Coordinator at St Xaviers proudly told us that her school won the first year… and then nine more times!
“We’re really big supporters of the day and make sure we are here every year. We can bring a lot of our younger kids, which is great for them to get exposure and a chance to play because it’s usually our older kids in years 5 and 6 that get to go to the representative football events.
“The teamwork and the good sportsmanship are the values we see shine on these days.
“They get to meet different kids without the pressure of ‘we have to win’, worrying about dropping the ball or being upset when they don’t score, it doesn’t matter. The event is now about who shows the best team spirit,” Jess said.
Bella Gallagher, another teacher at St Xaviers went along this year too. She’d heard about the day from her dad and her brother who had been as well.
“It’s such a long-standing tradition, my dad and brother wanted to know who the special guest was so they could come down,” she laughed.
Newcastle Knights old boy Tony Butterfield came to the day this year, a real treat for kids in a rural town so far from the coast.
“It’s great for the kids to get the experience of someone like Tony coming to our rural town. It’s so rare for these kids to get the touchpoint of ‘I have met someone who made it’.
“I think one of the other great things is the heavy mining influence. A lot of the kid’s parents all work in the mines so it’s way to bring all those families together and connect with each other,” said Bella.
Jessica said without the mining industry support a day like the Coal Miners Cup wouldn’t happen.
“The mining sponsorship makes this happen, without it we wouldn’t be able to put on a day like this.”
