Football fight on violence

IT’S time to lace up and fight violence.

Football codes across the nation will come together this weekend to fight the scourge of societal violence.

More than 40,000 people, including some of Australia’s biggest NRL and AFL stars, will take part in the Step Back Think’s Lace Up campaign to raise awareness of social violence and how to combat it. This includes one-punch assaults, pub brawls and street fights.

Twenty Australians lost their lives to coward punches or king-hit punches in 2016, with four in Victoria.

Step Back Think chief executive Anna O’Halloran said the campaign was aimed at creating a future where social violence was not the norm.

“Young people shouldn’t think that violence should be a part of their lives,” she said.

“We refuse to think that is acceptable. We want to empower young people with the skills and the confidence to make that happen.

“Twenty people lost their lives to coward punches or king- hits last year. That is not just 20 people, it is 20 families ripped apart, and the ripple effect of that is enormous.”

Players in the Round 21 AFL clash between Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns on Saturday at the Gabba will wear orange laces as part of the campaign.

Step Back Think was founded in 2007 as a youth-led committee and has transformed into today’s not-for-profit organisation, after James Macready-Bryan was left with permanent brain damage when attacked by a stranger on his 20th birthday.

“We want to educate people about thinking about how they will react in a situation when social violence might occur,” Ms O’Halloran said.