The Gold Coast SUNS are proud to announce a two-year partnership extension which will see StreetSmarts become the first ever naming rights partner for the Gold Coast SUNS Academy.
The significant partnership extension with Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) comes after the SUNS have supported the StreetSmarts road safety public education program since February 2021.
The StreetSmarts program aims to engage directly with communities about road safety issues, shine a light on driver education and road safety, and bring about social change to encourage safe driver behaviour.
Gold Coast SUNS Chief Executive Mark Evans said the club was thrilled to grow its partnership with DTMR.
“This is a very significant announcement for our club to welcome StreetSmarts as our very first naming rights partner for the SUNS Academy,” Mr Evans said.
“The SUNS Academy reaches over 1,000 football participants in our regions from North Queensland, to the Gold Coast and Northern Rivers and into Darwin.
“With males and females from ages 13-19 in our Academy, it is the perfect demographic to expose young people and families to road safety messages from StreetSmarts from the very beginning when learning to drive.
“We know the impact road trauma has on our community and we endeavour to play a key role in encouraging Queenslanders to be better and safer road users while also driving meaningful behavioural change.”
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the partnership would allow the StreetSmarts program to reach more Queenslanders.
"With 297 lives lost on Queensland roads last year – the highest number in over a decade – the Palaszczuk Government is increasing its commitment to initiatives that improve road safety,'“ Mr Bailey said.
"This is fantastic to see the Gold Coast SUNS and AFL Queensland taking leadership in the road safety space. We have established a great platform with the SUNS and AFLQ over the past two years and will continue building on that.
"Young drivers are our most vulnerable on the road and sponsoring the Gold Coast SUNS Academy provides another avenue to reach this important audience and ensure they always put road safety first.
"We love seeing our AFL players kicking goals on the field, and we want to make sure they’re also kicking goals for road safety.
"We are committed to prioritising road safety and have invested $1.5 billion this financial year on education, campaigns, road upgrades and new technologies."
Through the partnership, StreetSmarts will have prominent branding across all major GC SUNS Academy apparel and assets, including the back of the SUNS Academy guernsey.
StreetSmarts will also continue to deliver important road safety messaging at SUNS home games, including drink driving messaging to encourage all attendees to arrive home safely after games.
Additionally, StreetSmarts has extended its partnership with AFL Queensland which will see the StreetSmarts AFLQ Schools Cup continue until at least 2025.
This announcement coincides with National Road Safety Week, running from 14 to 21 May and now in its eleventh year. The week remembers the 1200 people who lose their lives and 44,000 people injured in road trauma on Australian roads and highways each year.
