Colour 4 Chloe a huge success thanks to football spirit
The Granville & Districts Soccer Football Association was united last Sunday to show their support for passionate local footballer Chloe Osborn.
A keen player for the Rouse Hill Rams Soccer Club, Chloe was diagnosed in January with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancerous tumour which attacked her spine and forced her to step away from playing football. Although she isn’t playing this year, Chloe continues to coach her Rams team mates.
Across the Granville Association, Colour 4 Chloe Round was celebrated with players donning rainbow coloured socks and raising money for cancer research.
The Hills Centenary Park, home of the Rouse Hill Rams, hosted the main event on Sunday with a variety of teams from the Granville Association showing their support at the ground as well.
Chloe’s mum Kerilyn Osborn said she was blown away by the contributions from the football community.
"The turnout has been fantastic. All the Ram’s teams have been wearing the socks and a lot of other associations as well which has been really good. We’ve had a great day and the weather has been beautiful."
Colour 4 Chloe also saw jumping castles, hairspray and face-paint activities for families, as well as bandanna and cupcake sales with funds going to the Cancer Centre at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Rouse Hill Rams Ladies Co-ordinator and Chloe’s coaching partner Steve Duval was the mastermind behind the project.
"Once we found out that Chloe had cancer, I spoke to our manager and we went to the committee and said, ‘Can we do something to help this family out?’ And that’s how Colour 4 Chloe started."
While Steve says there will be some bigger fundraising events later this year, the event on Sunday was all about Chloe.
"Chloe suggested we have a day here at the ground and then we thought we’d get some jumping castles and do some cupcakes and raise some money where Chloe can just have fun."
Steve said he was amazed at the amount of support other football clubs had shown in getting involved with Colour 4 Chloe.
"They’ve been unbelievable. Some clubs have raised over $2000, clubs that have nothing to do with Chloe or our club, they’re just involved in the [Granville] Association. They’ve been absolutely wonderful.
"We’ve sold 400 pairs of socks with some help from some of the mums involved with the club. We wish we’d had 1000 to sell, because we could have sold that many, that’s how much support there’s been. St Marys want to do a fundraiser and Campbeltown want to do a fundraiser so they all want socks to have a day like this one."
Chloe’s dad Mark Osborn addressed the crowd at the end of the day and was full of praise for the united efforts shown from the local football community.
"There’s been a lot of help with this. All the mums who baked all the cakes. The support that we get from Rouse Hill Rams Soccer Club is incredible, I just can’t believe it. Honestly you have no idea how much support we get from this club. The people and all the mums and dads who have volunteered to help out today is unreal.
"So thank you everyone for coming down to celebrate a special day where Chloe can come and have some fun with everyone. She’s had a fantastic day."
To donate money to the Colour 4 Chloe project, visit www.GoFundMe.com/colour4chloe
To find out more about upcoming Colour 4 Chloe events, visit https://www.facebook.com/colour4chloe/
