Stormers Rugby and Players Fund make it official
The Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players’ Fund has been confirmed as the Official Charity Partner of Stormers Rugby, which is the latest step in a partnership that already goes back 20 years.
Known as Rugby’s Caring Hands, the Players’ Fund assists 82 recipients who have sustained catastrophic head, neck and spinal injuries while playing the game they love and has aided over 600 fallen heroes over the years.
The association with Stormers Rugby goes back to the very beginnings of the Fund, which was founded by former Western Province and Springbok captain Morne du Plessis and several of his Western Province and Villagers teammates including Frikkie Naudé, Tubby Teubes, HO de Villiers as well as Judge Pat Tebbutt and Neil Strybis on September 9, 1980, after the tragic death of Western Province fullback Chris Burger from an injury he sustained in a Currie Cup match against Free State in Bloemfontein.
Petro Jackson was a young player from Kylemore, near Stellenbosch, who was also fatally injured following a neck injury during a match in 1987. A similar fund was established in his honour and the two Funds amalgamated in 1992.
The DHL Stormers have hosted an annual dinner every year since 2005 in aid of the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players’ Fund, which has seen the team raise close to R 1,5 million over the years.
By confirming the Fund as Official Charity Partner, Stormers Rugby will take this association to the next level over the coming years, bringing the two organisations closer than ever before.
The Fund provides physical, psychological, and emotional assistance to all rugby players in South Africa who have sustained serious, life-altering head, neck and spine injuries, acting as Rugby’s Caring Hands over the past 43 years.
The Fund boasts two former Springbok captains on its board, current chairman Jean de Villiers, and 2007 World Cup-winning captain, John Smit, as well as former Springboks Tiaan Strauss and Hanyani Shimange.
Stormers Rugby CEO Johan le Roux said that given the historic association, it made perfect sense to confirm the Fund as the Official Charity Partner of Stormers Rugby.
“The work that the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players’ Fund does in supporting rugby players who need it most is so important and as an organisation we want to make that association that we have had in the past even stronger going forward.
“This is something that means a lot to every player in our squad and every person in our organisation, and we look forward to working closely with the Fund’s team to support their recipients in any way we can,” he said.
Outgoing Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players Fund CEO Mark Kritzinger, who will be succeeded by Anne Dobson in July, said that this is a big step forward for all involved.
“Our Fund has always felt supported by Stormers Rugby, indeed it was a group of Western Province players who founded the Fund in the first place. This official recognition and support is significant though and we look forward to taking the association to the next level in every respect,” he said.
To support the Players’ Fund, visit www.playersfund.org.za and select your donation option of choice, which includes EFT, Payfast, SnapScan and Zapper.
