SA produce industry takes to the pitch

Members of South Australia’s fresh produce industry are pulling on their football (soccer) boots in the name of charity.

Growers, wholesalers and retailers will play for the ‘Pick A Local, Pick SA!’ team in a curtain raiser to the Adelaide United – Western Sydney Wanderers A-League clash at Coopers Stadium on 19 February 2023.

Their opponents will be the ‘State Government’, a squad comprising South Australian ministers and parliamentarians from all sides of politics, along with government representatives.

The match will support South Australian primary producers, who have battled with fruit fly, floods, hailstorms and unseasonal cool weather in recent years.

All funds raised will be collected by the Rural Business Support (RBS) Relief Fund. The match is expected to raise up to A$100,000.

“As an industry we wanted to show our support to primary producers affected by and facing hardship due to the natural disasters our state has and continues to encounter,” said South Australian Produce Market chief executive Angelo Demasi.

“South Australian growers have been resilient and continue to provide the state with quality fresh fruit and vegetables and primary produce and we wanted to show our support and appreciation in these challenging times.”

Each player will be supported through donations to take to the pitch, while attendees of the match can add a donation to the RBS Relief Fund when purchasing their game day tickets.

In addition, leading independent retail chain Foodland will donate some of the proceeds from its Peculiar Picks range. The range includes fruit sourced from both the Riverland and the Adelaide Hills.

“As our way of giving back to our state’s growers, part proceeds from our Peculiar Picks range of special market produce will be donated through Foodland’s Good 4 Locals Foundation between the months of February to April,” said Foodland chief executive Franklin Dos Santos.

“Our Peculiar Picks range can be found across all Foodland stores. We’re also delighted to support the charity match with members of our team pulling on the boots and shin pads to play.”