Ħamrun Ħanin unveil Sports Unity concept

Ħamrun Ħanin, the social arm of Ħamrun Spartans FC has launched a new initiative aimed at bringing together all stakeholders in the football community to work towards a common objective. The main aim of Sports Unity is to unite the whole sporting community for a specific initiative which brings effective impact in the society around us.

The first project of Sports Unity will focus on cancer research, and for this reason, an agreement was reached with RIDT, the research fund at the University of Malta, to collect funds towards the study on this sensitive issue. To achieve such objective, Sports Unity plans to host a special activity, a Gala Night to be held later this year, that will see the participation of players, coaches, technical staff and referees of the Premier League and the Challenge League.

“Sport has a central and fundamental role in our society and if used well can bring together everyone in our society,” Ian Debattista, chairman of Ħamrun Ħanin, said. “Sport has the ability to bring together people of different nations, cultures and encourage them to work together towards a specific goal. It is a powerful tool that can bring together people from different cultures and mix together without any barriers”.

Sports Unity aims to bring together not only Premier and Challenge League teams but also other stakeholders such as the MFPA, MFA and the Malta Premier League.

“In the long run, it’s our goal to welcome to our fold other sporting disciplines outside football”, Ian Debattista added.

Minister of Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima welcomed this initiative, saying: “Sport is a sector which delivers results and brings the community together. Today, we are witnessing how through sport we will move a step forward and join forces for a very noble objective, one which will support further research and knowledge that will deliver improvements in the treatment of cancer to the benefit of patients and society in general”.

Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Research and Innovation Keith Azzopardi Tanti explained that “the introduction of the Sports Unity concept is an initiative which brings together all football clubs and other stakeholders to deliver collaborative activities which deliver a positive impact in society”.

He explained that the Cancer Research and Innovation Hub Malta (CRIHM) will be financing a Mobile Unit project which will support initiatives such as Sports Unity by supporting communities, educational institutions and sport activities. It will also serve as a source and as a platform for research and to educate communities on health issues while sharing knowledge on prevention and cure. This collaborative initiative complements one of the key roles of the CRIHM which has been launched recently”, Azzopardi Tanti added.

Opposition Spokesperson for Sport Hon. David Agius was also present for the launch of Sports Unity.

Wilfred Kenely, CEO of RIDT said: “This initiative has more than one meaning. It is a demonstration of appreciation towards the work carried out in the field of research at the University of Malta. It is also a way how the sport community can contribute towards cancer research, and how sport and football in particular can lead to unity between groups of people that are normally in competition with each other. This collaboration has a very noble objective, that of raising funds for cancer research in Malta. I would like to express my appreciation towards Hamrun Hanin for developing this initiative and I augur success for all the activities that will be associated with it.”