Professional Footballers Australia (the PFA) has today revealed the 2023 Beyond Bank PFA Community Medal nominees. 

With the winner to be announced at the 2023 Oakberry PFA Players’ Awards in Sydney on Monday 17 July, the medal recognises the contribution of a PFA Member to the community through their commitment to a charitable cause.

First introduced in 2017, the Beyond Bank PFA Community Medal has previously been won by Nigel Boogaard, Robbie Cornthwaite, Luke Brattan and Rebekah Stott. The 2023 nominees, who were selected by their peers for the award, include six players from the Matildas, Socceroos and the A-Leagues:

  • Hayley Raso: The Matildas and Real Madrid star works with HeartKids, a charity for children with congenital heart disease. Hayley has raised money for the charity through her book, Hayley’s Ribbon, with 50% of proceeds from book sales going to support children and their families. 
  • Aivi Luik: After her brother Noa was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2022, Luik shaved her head and raised over $42,000 for the Mark Hughes Foundation. The foundation will use the funds for further research into brain cancer.
  • Corey Brown: The Brisbane Roar defender has been working with the ‘Coffee Brigade’ in Brisbane, personally providing people experiencing homelessness with coffee, breakfast and the toiletries they require.
  • Jack Hingert: The long-serving Brisbane Roar defender has been an RSPCA Queensland ambassador, helping foster and rehome dogs across Queensland.
  • Kyah Simon: appointed as an ambassador for sports anti-racism initiative Reflect Forward in November 2022, the Matildas forward has been the face of their advocacy and awareness campaign whilst supporting the development of resources that will be distributed to Australian schools.

PFA President Alex Wilkinson said the nominees illustrated the players’ long standing commitment to positively impact not just Australian football but the broader Australian community. 

“The nominees for the Beyond Bank PFA Community Medal demonstrate that our members are far more than just athletes, they are people who care deeply about giving back to others in their community.

“From the National Teams to our A-Leagues players, our members are at the forefront of using sport as a tool to positively impact the country, and each of these nominees is incredibly deserving of recognition.”

“As a customer-owned bank, supporting local communities and helping to make a positive difference is at the heart of everything we do,” said Kylie Daniels, Senior Community Development Manager at Beyond Bank.

 “When we heard about all of the brilliant work being done by all of the very deserving nominees, we were more than happy to provide our support for this award.”

About the Beyond Bank PFA Community Medal 

The Beyond Bank PFA Community Medal, first introduced in 2017, recognises the outstanding contribution PFA members are making within their communities and reflects the PFA’s commitment to ensuring football creates positive social impact. PFA Community Medal winners include Rebekah Stott (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre), Robbie Cornthwaite, (Beards of Hope), Nigel Boogaard (Hunter Life Education’s Ocsober campaign), and Luke Brattan (Leukaemia Foundation). Beyond Bank will donate $2,500 to the charity nominated by the winner of the 2023 PFA Beyond Bank Community Medal, which will be announced at the 2023 Okaberry PFA Players’ Awards on Monday 17 July in Sydney. 

About Beyond Bank
Beyond Bank is one of Australia’s largest customer-owned banks with branches and offices in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, ACT and Victoria. They partner with more than 5000 community organisations around the nation to create and return value for customers and communities and, through this, change lives. Beyond Bank is a B Corp, a business that is certified as meeting high standards of social and environmental impact, ensuring their practices and outputs benefit all people, communities and our planet. To learn more, visit beyondbank.com.au