‘Sponsorship Withdrawn: Storm Faces Backlash Over Anzac Day Controversy Due to Cultural Insensitivity’

The aftermath of the Melbourne Storm’s decision to cancel its Anzac Day Welcome to Country ceremony has reverberated widely, leading to a significant sponsor and community partner severing ties with the club.

In a statement, the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) remarked that the cancellation highlighted “a lack of respect and cultural sensitivity towards Aboriginal people”.

The VAHS had been a sponsor through the club’s Deadly Choices campaign, an initiative run in conjunction with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health. This program permitted local Indigenous children to participate in halftime performances and served as a platform for distributing tickets for Storm home games within the community.

“The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service has made the tough decision to immediately withdraw our partnership on the Deadly Choices campaign with Melbourne Storm,” the VAHS statement noted.

“This decision is directly related to the Melbourne Storm board’s choice to cancel Aunty Joy’s Welcome to Country during the Anzac Day match.”

“This decision profoundly affected Aunty Joy, the Djirri Djirri dancers, and the Wurundjeri people. We acknowledge that the negative impact was felt throughout Aboriginal communities across Naarm, the state, and the nation.”

The Storm’s cancellation of the ceremony followed a controversial incident of booing that occurred during Melbourne’s main dawn service.

“The Melbourne Storm board’s decision revealed a disturbing lack of respect and cultural sensitivity towards Aboriginal peoples and communities, especially concerning the treatment and acknowledgment of Aunty Joy and the Wurundjeri people, and their cultural customs and protocols.”

“Such actions contradict our values of respect, cultural integrity, and safety. This decision has led to adverse wellbeing effects, including sadness and anger among our community and stakeholders.”

“Our organisation is committed to promoting respectful, inclusive, and culturally safe environments for Aboriginal peoples, and regrettably, the actions and decisions made by the Melbourne Storm board have undermined these principles.”

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Storm chairman Matt Tripp expressed to The Age that he was “deeply upset” by the handling of the situation and felt “beyond disappointed”.

“Once we grasped the programming from management, we approved it to proceed. By then, it was understandably too late for those already informed of our previous decision,” he explained.

“I am acutely aware of the various cultures and communities represented in our football club and supporter base.”

“Like I do for all matters within the club, I will protect that with my life, and I want to safeguard it at all costs.”

“To have a miscommunication brand us as insensitive to the Welcome to Country and, by extension, an integral part of Australian customs, has deeply troubled me.”

The Storm is scheduled to face the Tigers at AAMI Park this Sunday.