Obesity plan unveiled

Labor’s sporting pledge to female soccer players

LABOR in its campaign in northern Gold Coast seats is making a big pitch for female sporting players and fans.

If elected to Government, the ALP has promised to provide $500,000 to the Coomera Soccer Club to construct proper facilities for their growing number of female players.

Since 1983 the Coomera Colts have fielded an expanding roster of girls-only teams in under 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14 and 16 years along with three senior women’s teams.

Club supporters say the original facilities have not kept pace with the surge in popularity for women’s soccer driven by the W-League and the Matildas.

Fadden ALP candidate Luz Stanton told the Bulletin: “Labor’s commitment will be a major boost to further expand the club’s girls’ and women’s program by having appropriate change room amenities.”

The Coomera Soccer Club is the largest participant football club with the Football Gold Coast Zone, with 830 registered players, including 152 girls and women.

Club treasurer Helen Falcone said the club’s single biggest problem was a lack of facilities for senior women’s teams. SMOKERS, drinkers and the overweight will be the focus of a series of intense new government advertising campaigns if Labor wins the election.

Opposition Health spokeswoman Catherine King will today unveil a four-year $115 million preventive health strategy that aims to tackle obesity and cut smoking rates to 10 per cent.

Alcohol and junk food advertising to kids will be limited and a national obesity strategy will also be funded under the program. As part of that, parents will be given expert advice on what to feed their children in the first 1000 days of life.