22/02/2019
A Shorten Labor Government, if elected, will provide $600,000 towards the construction of a new synthetic pitch at Hosken Reserve for Pascoe Vale FC, the home ground of Hakeem al-Araibi.
Hakeem was welcomed back to his community at Pascoe Vale’s first home game tonight, celebrating his freedom and thanking Australian’s who fought for him.
Labor’s announcement will support the City of Moreland’s contribution, delivering a new synthetic pitch for a safer playing surface and improved access to outside club hours.
The pitch will be available for local community groups to use, including the International Academy and Football Victoria, to provide opportunities for the next generation of football players to play the game they love.
Football has repeatedly shown it has the power to unite a nation both on and off the field and investing in clubs at the grassroots level encourages participation, helping to grow the footballing community.
We congratulate Pascoe Value FC for their unwavering support of Hakeem and wish them the best of luck for the season.
We also wish to thank all those showing their support for Hakeem, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, other governments, Australians of the year Richard Harris and Craig Challen, Mr Alaraibi’s local community in Melbourne and in particular Mr Craig Foster, the Football Federation of Australia, and the broader football community.
#HakeemSaved #FootballUnites