“Their support in previous years has given us shade structures, water coolers and other equipment as well as bananas at every meet to fuel young bodies,” he said.
Pearson, who started her illustrious career at Little Athletics on the Gold Coast, said she was delighted to continue supporting the next generation of Aussie athletes despite retiring from international competition last year to give birth to daughter Ruby.
“I’m so glad to continue my involvement with athletics through Coles’ partnership with Little Athletics Australia,” she said. “Little Athletics is where it all began for me, so I know how important grassroots centres and volunteers are to helping kids realise their potential.”
Research by the Australian Sports Foundation in July suggested that more than 16,000 local sports clubs were at risk of closing due to reduced revenues and increased costs arising from Covid-19.
Coles has provided more than $1.68 million in grants for sports equipment and more than three million bananas to give athletes a nutritious snack during training and competitions since 2017.
