Cricket Ireland is supporting the local Antrim community through free SiSU health checks inspired by Shane Warne Legacy at the Under-17s Youth Inter-Provincial festival in Ballyclare tomorrow.
The event will be held at Templepatrick Cricket Club – health checks will be available pitch-side throughout the day, with attending media able to meet key people between 1.30pm and 2pm:
- Albert van der Merwe, Cricket Ireland’s National Talent Pathway Manager
- Samantha Fay, CEO of SiSU Health UK
The Festival
As part of Cricket Ireland’s talent pathway programme, an Under-17s Boys and Under-17s Girls festival is being held this week, with Tuesday’s matches being played at Templepatrick Cricket Club.
Albert van der Merwe said:
“We’re very excited to bring some of the most talented young cricketers to Northern Ireland this week. The standard and interest levels at youth levels is growing year-on-year, and the future of Irish cricket is very bright if this crop of players are any indication of the next generation coming through.
“It’s also fantastic that we can use an event such as this to also benefit the community and we are pleased that our friends at the Shane Warne Legacy in Australia have chosen us as their first overseas health check event. I encourage all cricket fans in the Belfast and Ballyclare area to enjoy the game on Tuesday, see some future Ireland stars in the making, and honour the memory of Shane Warne through taking up a free health check.”
Follow the festival’s scorecards here.
The health checks and Shane Warne connections
23 years ago, Australian cricket legend Shane Warne donned the green and gold to play his last game for the Australians against Ireland in Belfast. To honour his memory and celebrate his status within the game, the Shane Warne Legacy Health Check unit will be present at the ground with two of SiSU Health’s innovative digital Health Stations to ensure that Irish cricket fans are able to take a health check and raise their awareness about the importance regular healthy heart checks.
There is one further Warne connection at the festival – 14-year old Joshua Pope, who has an Irish father, is playing at the event, representing the Shane Warne Legacy:
“I was lucky enough to grow up a few blocks from the Warme family home in Melbourne and I knew Shane from when I was very little. Shane was an inspiration to me and was the reason I took up bowling leg-spin.
“The work of the Shane Warne Legacy and SiSU Health in ensuring the cricket community are getting their health checked is really important and we hope all Irish cricket fans in the Ballyclare area get the chance to get their health checked at Templepatrick Cricket Club. It’s a great chance to start positive discussions about heart health and promote the significance of maintaining a healthy heart, which is what Shane would have wanted.”
Helen Nolan, CEO of Shane Warne Legacy, expressed gratitude to Cricket Ireland and SiSU Health for their support:
“It’s exciting to bring the Shane Warne Legacy Health Checks to Northern Ireland, where Shane played for the Australians 23 years ago. We are so proud of the impact these events are making to people’s lives and we’re reaching people who had no idea they were walking around with these health issues.
“It’s great that Joshua, who knew Shane when he was younger, is representing the Shane Warne Legacy during the Under-17 Provincial Championships and that Cricket Ireland have embraced this celebration of Shane’s special connection to Irish cricket and its fans.”
SiSU Health UK CEO Samantha Fay, who attended the event at Templepatrick Cricket Club said:
“We’re thrilled to expand our collaboration with The Shane Warne Legacy to Northern Ireland with the help of Cricket Ireland to raise awareness about the importance of knowing your numbers and striving to make a significant impact on heart health outcomes.
“Based on our data and research, we’ve seen incredible results during our partnership with the Shane Warne Legacy: 70% of people who underwent the health check were motivated to improve their health, with over 50% taking tangible action. This health checks fans, players and the cricket community take with us today will undoubtedly have a positive impact on public health, their health and contribute to helping people live longer, healthier lives.”
About the Shane Warne Legacy:
The Shane Warne Legacy was founded in 2023 in response to the sudden and tragic passing of Shane Warne from a heart attack in March 2022 at the age of 52. Shane’s unexpected passing sent shockwaves through millions of people worldwide, leaving behind a profound sense of loss and an unmistakable void in the hearts of many. At the time it prompted a huge surge in people visiting their doctors to get their hearts checked deemed the ‘Shane Warne Halo effect’.
The Shane Warne Legacy was established to preserve Shane’s memory and continue his relentless drive to make a difference.
The Shane Warne Legacy Health Check program, was first introduced during the 2023 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, at AFL Gather Round in South Australia and NRL in Brisbane.
Providing health checks in community settings is an effective way of engaging people in their health. This program is a great opportunity to start discussions about heart health and promote the significance of maintaining a healthy heart.
About SiSU Health
SiSU Health is an Australian preventative health company with offices in the UK that aims to reduce the rates of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease by providing free self-service, personalised, and accurate health checks in convenient locations across the country. By helping individuals understand their health status, increasing awareness, and empowering them to track and improve their health outcomes, SiSU Health aims to promote healthier and longer lives.