Seven to broadcast special AFL State of Origin match to raise money for bushfire relief
A special Australian Football League (AFL) match will take place on 28 February at Marvel Stadium to raise funds to combat Australia’s bushfire disaster.
The match, between a Victorian team and an All Stars team, will be broadcast by the AFL’s rights holder, Seven.
AFL State of Origin is back after a 20-year hiatus, with Victoria and the All Stars to square off to raise vital funds for victims of the bushfires. @7AFLhttps://t.co/MxYdTGvWAv
— 7Sport (@7Sport) January 9, 2020
The AFL has committed to a $1.35m bushfire relief donation, along with $900,000 from clubs and an additional $250,000 from the AFL Players Association.
Seven’s CEO and managing director James Warburton said the network was throwing its full support behind the initiative.
“We’re proud to be partnering with the AFL to broadcast the State of Origin match on Seven on Friday 28 February, to support the bushfire relief effort,” he said in a statement. “This is a great initiative, and we’re working on putting our full Seven Sport AFL team on the broadcast.”
It’s not, however, all Seven is doing to help relief and recovery efforts, he said.
“This match is on top of our partnership with TEG on the Fire Fight Australia benefit concert on Sunday 16 February, and our partnership with The Salvation Army on the Bushfire Disaster Appeal.
“We have seen massive interest in Seven News’ reporting on how to support the recovery effort, with over half a million people visiting 7News.com.au’s articles on how to help since New Year’s Day, and the special bushfire editions of The Latest on Facebook Watch having over 7m views. We’re continuing to work on other ways we can support the bushfire recovery effort and hope to share more soon.”
