The search for the Sexiest Man in League will be back again in 2009. We'll be on the hunt for the hottest guys in the code with your votes deciding who will join the Gods of Football.

Stay tuned for more information on the event and the launch dates for 2009. Don't forget to purchase your 2008 Gods of Football calendar from www.godsoffootball.com.au

The biggest names in rugby league and some of Australia’s hottest celebrities are coming together to play in the inaugural 2 day, 5-a-side touch football event…

2006 HARVEY NORMAN BEACH FOOTY!

WHAT IS HARVEY NORMAN BEACH FOOTY?

Harvey Norman Beach Footy will deliver the stars of the NRL live in action in a two day five-a-side touch football competition with 2 reserves per side. The competition will feature 6 pro teams: NSW, Qld, Young Guns, Kiwi’s, Celebrity and the Australian Women’s Touch Team. Four of the sides competing will feature players from within the NRL with the additional 2 sides involved being the celebrity team captained by Gorden Tallis and the Australian Women’s Touch Football team.

WHEN IS HARVEY NORMAN BEACH FOOTY?

Two full days over Saturday 16th December and Sunday 17th December 2006

WHERE IS HARVEY NORMAN BEACH FOOTY?

Maroubra Beach Sydney.

MEDIA

Harvey Norman Beach Footy will receive unprecedented media exposure for the event across television, radio and print mediums.

The Nine Network will be the television partner for the event and will film, package and broadcast Harvey Norman Beach Footy for approx 4 hours of television to be aired in the lead up to 2007 NRL season kick-off. Nine will broadcast Harvey Norman Beach Footy during the following timeslots:

Sunday 25th February: 2.00pm – 3.00pm
Sunday 4th March: 2.00pm – 3.00pm
Sunday 11th March: 2.00pm – 3.00pm
Sunday 18th March: 1.00pm – 2.00pm

Harvey Norman Beach Footy’s radio partner Nova 96.9 will broadcast live over the 2 day event and News Limited will be covering the event across its newspapers. Specifically the Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.

The event will receive significant pre-promotion by News Limited, Nova and the Nine Network with an integrated advertising component built in to each of the media partnerships.

PRIZES

$100,000 in prizes will be available to the winning team which the players may wish to donate to a charity of their choice.

HARVEY NORMAN BEACH FOOTY EVENTS

The beach will be transformed into a carnival style atmosphere over the weekend of the event with live music and dj’s, fashion parades, bikini beach babe & beach boy competition and exclusive Beach Footy parties on Saturday and Sunday nights.

• Pro Team Competition - Saturday and Sunday
• Bands and DJ’s - Saturday and Sunday
• Bikini Beach Babe & Beach Boy Competition - Saturday & Sunday
• Fashion Parades - Saturday and Sunday
• Beach Footy Party - Saturday night
• Beach Footy BBQ - Sunday night

PLAYERS TESTIMONIALS

I’m really enthusiastic about Harvey Norman Beach Footy and what it can bring to the game of rugby league. I have no doubt this iconic event will become an annual fixture on the rugby league promotional calendar.
Gorden Tallis

This event will be huge! The ultimate in skills, speed and agility against the backdrop of live music and entertainment… I can’t wait!
Danny Buderus

The players can’t wait for Harvey Norman Beach Footy. It’s going to be a really fun way to finish off the season in a carnival type atmosphere featuring live music and entertainment. The quality of players involved means that spectators are going to see all the skills of modern rugby league and above all else, loads of tries.
Mark Gasnier

VOLUNTEERING FOR HARVEY NORMAN BEACH FOOTY

SFX Sports Group are currently looking for volunteers to help staff the Harvey Norman Beach Footy event. If you are interested in volunteering or doing a work experience placement please send your CV and contact details to info@sfxsports.com.au

Dancing with the Stars' glamour boy Luke Ricketson roughed up the runway for Mldenim at Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival on Wednesday night.

The show was amazing, going through a journey from folk to heavy dance bringing in the Viking look for boys, whilst the girls rocked to Hollywood beats with a Prague fringe twist, showing tapestry design with embellish trims.

Luke Ricketson and Hawthorn vice captain, Sam Mitchell were part of a group of four rough, dirty lads who concluded the show with a bang!! They carried off the dirty look while showing 4 different denim styles for the boys of today, funky yet strong, he rides his motorcycle yet he's hot, he also rides his bike and yet he wears Mldenim.

Years of pounding the turf for the NRL's Sydney Roosters has given Luke Ricketson his chiselled body. He's played 301 games and appeared in 10 State of Origin matches - not a bad tally for a guy who, at 15 years of age, decided to make it after watching the sport on TV. He's long been the game's pin-up boy (even in retirement) - and now he's CLEO's most recent Centrefold pin-up too!

Photo courtesy of CLEO Magazine.

CLEO Centrefold Archive

12 of League’s hottest players signed on for the League of Their Own 2006 Calendar which is sure to be one of the most sought after calendars for 2006. Ben Ross, Stuart Webb, Michael Witt, Liam Fulton, Ryan McGoldrick, Nick Youngquest and Amos Roberts all stripped for the calendar to support Koori Kids, a newly established initiative that aims to help young indigenous and non-indigenous Australian kids achieve their goals and follow their dreams not only in sport, but in everyday life.

The calendar is available at newsagents across Australia for $21.95 rrp.

You can order over the phone by calling 02 9751 4282

Note: The League of Their Own 2006 Calendar is not an official NRL Licensed Product.

Koori Kids Website

Australia’s oldest professional golf tournament will again be returning to the Hyatt Regency Coolum in December 2005 for it's Centenary event. The Champion’s trophy, the Kirkwood Cup, was first won in 1929 and is one of the oldest trophies in Australian sport. It has been held aloft by some of the greatest names in world golf such as Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman, Craig Parry, Peter Senior, Ian Baker-Finch and Peter Lonard.

The Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Championship has always been the Professional’s “own” tournament and that tradition is sure to continue in 2005 with a strong line up of local and international players. The tournament has secured players such as defending champion Peter Lonard, US Open champion Michael Campbell, Shaun Micheel, Sam Torrance, Rod Pampling, Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby, making it one of the strongest playing fields competing on the Australasian PGA Tour calendar.

The alliance established back in 2000 between QEC and SFX Sports Group ensured that a new and innovative approach was developed for golf events in Queensland. The relationship enables strong branding for the State, the event and the Sunshine Coast itself.

In 2004 we were delighted to welcome Cadbury Schweppes on board as the tournament's naming rights sponsor. Cadbury Schweppes has a long history of association with golf events throughout Australia which is well known to all and with their support the tournament will reach new heights in 2005.

The Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Championship is one of prestige and tradition. At SFX we aim to continue to set new standards in Australian golf and will ensure that the PGA Championship remains a dynamic event, with family access and entertainment activities built in and around the tournament proper.

Yes it's that time of year again when the sexiest man to strap on a footy boot will be decided for 2005. And this year the guys will have some help from major sponsor adidas Active Skincare to get themselves looking smooth, buffed and glowing for final judging by readers of The Sunday Telegraph.

The adidas Active Skincare Sexiest Man in League is the pinnacle of the annual National Rugby League (NRL) promotional calendar and has been running since 1996 in conjunction with The Sunday Telegraph. No such Australian sporting promotion receives the hype & public attention than the adidas Active Skincare Sexiest Man in League commands and in 2005 the promotion will reach new levels with an extended campaign running over a 12 week period with weekly newspaper and television coverage. Major media partners for the 2005 Sexiest Man in League are Sports Tonight & The Sunday Telegraph.

adidas Active Skincare's involvement means that the hot 10 will receive all the advice they need to spruce themselves up for their toughest competition to date. The shaving, skincare and deodorant products have been specially formulated for mens' skin, helping to keep it smooth, healthy and smelling fabulous!

The action kicks off on Thursday 23rd June when the first of the ten hopefuls will appear on Sports Tonight. His sexy pictures will then appear in The Sunday Telegraph on 26th June. Each Thursday Sports Tonight will feature one of the hot 10 with the pictures appearing in The Sunday Telegraph over a period of ten weeks. Readers of The Sunday Telegraph will then be able to vote for who they think should be crowned the sexiest man in league in their pre semi finals edition on Sunday 4th September.

This year's title will be hotly contested amongst NRL stars BEN ROSS (Penrith Panthers), CHAD RANDALL (Manly Sea Eagles), ADRIAN MORLEY (Sydney Roosters), MICHAEL SULLIVAN (Cronulla Sharks), DANNY BUDERUS (Newcastle Knights), ASHLEY HARRISON (South Sydney Rabbitohs), BRETT SEYMOUR (BRISBANE BRONCOS), ERIC GROTHE (Parramatta Eels), MATT COOPER (St George Illawarra Dragons) and BILLY SLATER (Melbourne Storm). If you would like to find out more information about the players or to arrange an interview, please contact Ché Winters at SFX Sports Group on (02) 9248 9700.

For further information on adidas Active Skincare product please contact Anita Kaurinovic at Coty on (02) 9267 5500.

Previous winners of the Sexiest Man in League include Craig Wing, Matt Cooper, Bradley Clyde, Wendell Sailor, Matt Adamson and Luke Ricketson.... but with some hot new talent emerging through the ranks, the question remains - who will be League's Sexiest Man in 2005?

adidas Active Skincare Sexiest Man in League

New Woman magazine has searched the nation for Australia’s hottest guys aged between 18 and 38 and amongst them are several of our hottest League stars including Matt Cooper, Nick Younquest, Ryan McGoldrick, Brett Seymour and Ben Ross. The guys will be featured in the July issue of New Woman, on sale Wednesday June 8. As part of the promotion, New Woman magazine is giving the ladies of Australia the chance to vote for the Country’s Hottest Man – and the exclusive opportunity to date them!

Once you’ve checked out the fine talent in the magazine, all you have to do is log onto the New Woman website www.newwoman.com.au, click on the pic of guy you fancy and cast your vote. You can also email that man and ask for a date; if he likes the sound of you he’ll send you a return one – and the rest is up to you! So get on line and start voting!

New Woman is also giving readers the opportunity to party with some of the hot men. So check out the mag for all the details!

Maroons State of Origin hero, Billy ‘The Kid’ Slater has vowed to try and walk from ‘Coolangatta to Cairns’ in May to help raise money for sick kids for the Royal Children's Hospital's 'fit4fun Challenge'. If successful, the Melbourne Storm’s star fullback will virtually walk almost the entire east coast of Queensland in less than 31 days. Slater has urged Queenslanders to follow his lead, or help sick kids by sponsoring him to achieve his goal.

Slater will need all his speed and stamina if he’s to make the 1,993 kilometre distance toward his hometown in May – a journey of more than 60 kilometres a day.

Slater has embraced the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation’s ‘fit4fun Challenge’ – a virtual walk from Coolangatta to Cairns to raise money for the non-profit organisation attached to the RCH. The majority of funds generated through the fundraiser will go toward the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), one of only two centres of its kind in Australia. Located at Brisbane’s RCH, the CNRC plays a key role in finding treatments for children with growth and nutritional problems.

Funds raised by the 'fit4fun Challenge' will not only benefit children in Queensland, but children throughout Australia and overseas. Research undertaken by the CNRC informs child nutrition practice at national and international levels.

Once registered, participants in the‘fit4fun Challenge’ receive a pedometer which records their steps. At the end of each week, people log onto the fit4fun website, enter their number of steps,
and track their progress up the Coast. As participants head North, they will receive travel specials
at various destinations, health and fitness tips, and the chance to win great prizes.

Designed for workmates to get together, increase their fitness and raise money for sick kids, the ‘fit4fun Challenge’ is ideal for teams of around 10, but individuals can participate. Just 10 team members averaging 7kms per day over the 31 days of May can achieve a distance of 2,170kms. Given the punishing training and fitness regime of NRL players, its expected Slater will generate the workload of at least three average participants in the ‘fit4fun challenge’, but he hopes to do better.

“Realistically, I’ll be lucky to reach Rocky on my own”, Slater said laughing. “But I’m going to give it a real good shake. It’s a fantastic cause and I urge people to get their workmates on board and have a go. You can win some great prizes but every step you take will help a sick child”, he said.

Slater maintains it’s easy for individuals to get involved in the ‘fit4fun Challenge’ but if people decide they don’t have the time, they can still do something to help. “You can register online or over the phone it’s really simple, but if you can’t participate you could sponsor a friend or sponsor me”, he said. “I can’t guarantee I’ll make it all the way, but at least your money is going to a great cause”.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the number of overweight Australians is around 5.6 million and the number of obese adults is estimated to be as high as 3.3 million. In the past decade, the prevalence of obesity rose by more than 70% in men and 80% for women. Walking is one of the simplest and most effective forms of exercise, which can aid weight loss.

For further information, contact Wendy Kirkman on 0415 384 639 or Julie Garvey on 0410 886 100.

To register for the ‘fit4fun Challenge’, go to the link on fit4fun.com.au or telephone (07) 3852-1199