Friday night, the Perth Wildcats will wear orange socks when they take on the Brisbane Bullets at RAC Arena, in what has been called a history-making event.
So, why is wearing orange socks newsworthy and history-making?
The WA State Government recently launched its 16 Days in WA campaign which seeks to end family and domestic violence. As you may have guessed, the theme colour for this campaign is orange. The 16 Days in WA campaign runs from November 25th — International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women — through to December 10th — Human Rights Day — each year.
By wearing orange socks during Friday night’s game, the Perth Wildcats are embodying that message and showing their support for the campaign — they’ll be the first Western Australian professional sporting team to play a competitive fixture wearing the campaign’s theme colour. The Brisbane Bullets will also be doing the same to show their support for such an important issue.
Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Sabine Winton said, “I am thrilled the Perth Wildcats have joined the 16 Days in WA campaign to prevent gender-based violence.”
“I want to encourage all Wildcats fans to get behind their team and wear something orange to RAC Arena.”
“As someone who is passionate about sport, I know Western Australians look up to their sporting heroes. The impact of professional athletes saying no to violence cannot be understated.”
Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman added “This initiative by the Perth Wildcats should be commended – it is a great example of sporting codes and teams showing leadership and taking initiative. Congratulations to the team and the club for taking this positive action.”
16 Days in WA is now in its eighth year, and every year it continues to grow bigger and gain more support from communities, industries, and organisations. Further information about 16 Days in WA can be found here.
Perth Wildcats Owner Mark Arena also showed his support for the campaign and encourages fans attending the game to also wear something orange.
“As a family-first club, we want to help play our part in calling out violence against women.”
“We urge the Red Army to follow suit with the players and wear orange to the game against Brisbane on Friday, 29 November at RAC Arena.”
There are a number of public events that are being run as part of this campaign to increase awareness and education; a full list of those events can be found here.
