NORTH QLD AFL TEAM GETS PINK SPONSOR

By Jonathan Duffy

Cairns AFL team the Port Douglas Crocs have a lot to boast about this season. They have a great line of defence, awesome forwards and a fabulous new sponsor with gay resort “Turtle Cove” who has come on board as the newest sponsor for the North Queensland team.
Club president Scott Ewart told the Cairns Post that the resort is not a typical sponsor for a sporting team.” For us, Turtle Cove is just another sponsor. He said that they are no different to any other sponsor.
Mr Ewart said.” We’re not prejudicial to anyone; they’re a business just like any other in Port Douglas,” he said.
The choice of sponsor has been seen as unusual for a sport completely grounded in heterosexual masculinity. AFL Cairns president Gary Young agrees but doesn’t think it compromises the ideals of the game.

Mr Young said that support from any local business is a good thing and not just for AFL. “We all need support,” he said.
The resort owners Kelvin and Jacinta Banks are originally from Melbourne and love AFL. They said that sponsorship money used to leave the community and they are happy to see it going to a local group.
The resort’s general manager Ian Crute told QNews that one of the main driving forces for choosing to sponsor the team was the desire to branch out into the community.
“The owners really wanted to break down barriers and stereotypes,” he said.
“The feedback has been really positive.”
Ian said that from this experience he would recommend other gay businesses sponsor sporting teams in their local community.