The Good Friday Appeal is an annual

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

activity on behalf of the

Royal Children's Hospital The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), colloquially referred to as the Royal Children's, is a major children's hospital in Parkville, Victoria, Parkville, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Regarded as one of the great C ...

, in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The event occurs on

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

every year. In 2023, the appeal raised over $23 million, setting a new record. More than $368 million has been raised for the hospital since the appeal began in 1931. Individuals and businesses, clubs, schools and country towns throughout the state conduct activities to raise money for the hospital. The appeal is a non-political, non-denominational organisation that exists solely to financially support The Royal Children's Hospital. For the first time in 2014, the telethon was staged within the 2,500-seat Plenary Hall at the

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), colloquially referred to as Jeff's Shed, is a group of three adjacent buildings next to the Yarra River in South Wharf, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The venues ar ...

(MCEC). The public were able to purchase tickets to join the live studio audience, with proceeds donated to the appeal. In 2016, the evening concert was marketed as a ticketed event via

Ticketek Ticketek is an Australian event ticketing company. Founded in 1990, the company is owned by TEG Pty Ltd with its headquarters in Sydney. It operates ticketing operations for entertainment and sporting events in Australia and New Zealand. Othe ...

. The state-of-the-art MCEC complex, which is entirely undercover, also features a vast foyer area and support rooms which allowed the appeal to expand activities such as the popular Kids Day Out program and host community groups which fundraise for the hospital.

History

The appeal started in 1931 when groups of journalists from

The Herald and Weekly Times ''The Herald and Weekly Times'' Pty Ltd (HWT) is a newspaper publishing company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned and operated by News Pty Ltd, which as News Ltd, purchased the HWT in 1987. Newspapers The HWT's newspaper interests dat ...

Ltd organised a sporting

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

in aid of Melbourne hospitals. The proceeds from the appeal initially went to different hospitals each year, but from their third-year proceeds have gone exclusively to the Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital. In 1942, Sir

Keith Murdoch Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch (12 August 1885 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian journalist and media proprietor who was the founder of the Murdoch media empire. He amassed significant media holdings in Australia which after his death were expan ...

as managing director and editor of ''The Herald'' agreed that ''The Herald'' and radio station 3DB should broadcast an all-day appeal on

. In 1957, the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

joined the appeal and presented a three-hour

telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...

on Good Friday afternoon. In 1960, the telethon adopted the day-long format which continues annually to this day. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the telethon was also re-broadcast through regional Victoria via local channels, with

Prime Television Prime7, formerly Prime Television and other names, was an Australian television network. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as '' CBN-8'' in Orange, and later expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Ca ...

being the sole regional broadcaster from 1992 with the aggregation of regional markets.

Funds raised

Good Friday SuperClash

The Good Friday SuperClash is an annual

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL) match played on

, traditionally between the

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AF ...

and the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club based at Princes Park (stadium), Princes Park in Carlton North, Victoria, Carlton North, an inner suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. The c ...

. The fixture is held at

Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the suburb of Docklands, Victoria, Docklands in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 199 ...

(commercially Marvel Stadium) in

and is played in support of the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, combining elite sport with a significant charitable cause. The AFL, North Melbourne Football Club, Carlton Football Club, and their supporters actively contribute to the fundraising campaign through a variety of initiatives. These include in-stadium donation drives, charity auctions, and public fundraising events in the lead-up to and during the match. $5 is donated from every ticket sold at the match. Players, coaches, and club officials participate in fundraising activities, including hospital visits and telethon events, to engage the broader community and encourage donations. Special programs, such as "Superheroes on the Field," are also part of the event, with young patients from the Royal Children’s Hospital, often dressed in superhero costumes, joining the players on the field as a symbol of their strength and bravery. These symbolic moments serve to highlight the emotional connection between the AFL community and the children receiving treatment at the hospital.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.goodfridayappeal.com.au
Donate to the AppealHerald Sun Shop Premiership Posters (proceeds to the Good Friday Appeal)
Culture of Melbourne Organisations based in Melbourne Seven Network Australian telethons 1931 establishments in Australia Television shows set in Melbourne

History

Funds raised

Good Friday SuperClash

See also

References

External links