Initially the Brothers Cairns All-abilities program was implemented in conjunction with ARC Disability Services as part of the Brothers Cairns Rugby League engagement program. In 2020 the program began with 10 participants attending each Friday morning taking part in fun-based Rugby League sessions at Stan Williams Park with the clubs Head of Coaching Tim Rumford.

Tim commented “This quickly became very popular and now we regularly have up to 40 participants (from various agencies/service providers) per week taking part across two sessions. The All-Abilities game is now a highlight of our season and has taken place each year since 2021. The project has become a cornerstone of Brothers Cairns Rugby League engagement program, which has seen us establish a full-time engagement officer in Jordan Biondi–Odo, who is continuing to grow this program as part of his role”.

The Brothers Cairns All-Abilities program involves participants undertaking regular physical training and learning ball skills which has seen tremendous improvements in their concentration and hand eye co-ordination.

Jordan said “The participants are so excited to attend these sessions. Putting on the Brother’s jerseys and engaging in a competitive comradery in all the different activities to see how confident they have become and how much their skills have improved, is very rewarding and a credit to the participants and support workers for their commitment”.

The highlight for the past 3 years has been the annual All-Abilities exhibition game. At a recent Brothers home game at Stan Williams Park, the group played in a demonstration game before the A Grade match in front of a crowd of several hundred spectators.  A very exciting day for everyone involved.

The future of the All-Abilities program is bright, with funding in place from Brothers Cairns Leagues club as part of their mission to promote and develop the game in the Far North. Discussions are ongoing about providing more playing opportunities for the participants with teams from other regions along with more games at Stan Williams park.