Honouring a friend while helping a wonderful cause
When OHA Premier League player Livinia Sproule passed away four years ago, Tassie Tigers star Philly Bridley was compelled to act and honour her close friend.
Sproule, the daughter of two-time Olympian Daniel and granddaughter of former VFL star Paul, would have turned 23 this year. In the spirit of the family-oriented sport,
Bridley initiated the Liv Sproule Memorial Round near her birthday to honour her former junior teammate and raise much needed funds for Rare Cancers Australia.
“I’ve been so lucky to be able to have this event running since 2020 and it wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of the Sproule family and Hockey Tasmania,” Bridley said. “Over the past few years, I’ve been blown away with the engagement of not only the hockey community, but the people who knew Liv as a friend, student or player.”
“Overall, we have been able to raise around $22,000 so far and I am only looking forward to increasing that number every year as well as gaining support of local businesses,” she said.
“The funds raised help fund research, advocacy, patient support, treatment, community engagement and awareness.” A registered nurse, Bridley has also initiated the Liv Sproule Perpetual Award whereby a panel determines the player of the women’s Premier League round.
“The panel nominate players who show resilience, courage and selflessness and the past winners include Maddy Murphy (OHA), Cami Vaughan (DBACKS) and Emma O’Grady (DER), for demonstrating these characteristics on and off the field.”
The women’s Premier League round sees OHA versus DiamondBacks (11.45am), University against Derwent (1.15pm) and North-West Graduates versus Canterbury (2.45pm). Donations and fundraising purchases can be made at the Tasmanian Hockey Centres or by searching ‘Liv Sproule Memorial Round 2024’ at rarecancers.org.au