Calls for Cricket Australia to drop alcohol promotion

My name is Aaron Schultz and I am a 41 year old father of two from Tasmania. I grew up in a small country town in Western Victoria where life was pretty simple and everyone knew each other.

Like most teenage boys at the time I discovered alcohol at the age of 14. Drinking was not discouraged by my parents.

Throughout my late teens and into my thirties drinking became a regular habit for me. I had issues with alcohol which I found very difficult to beat, and ultimately took one hell of an effort to overcome.

One of the main reasons I had trouble changing my habits was I found that everywhere I went, alcohol was advertised, especially through sport (which I love), and the culture of playing sport and binge drinking was alive and well.

Sadly nothing has changed over the last 20-odd years, particularly in male dominated disciplines. I believe that change needs to occur to stop the promotion of alcohol through sport as it sends the wrong message to our kids and our communities.

Like their father, my children now love playing and watching cricket, however they are being heavily exposed to products including Victoria Bitter, Wild Turkey and KFC which I think is extremely unethical and irresponsible of the key sporting body, Cricket Australia.

I believe every individual has a right to learn, develop and reach their full potential and by addressing these issues and putting some actions in place we are working towards a healthier, more educated society.

It is my view that my children should be able to watch a professional game of sport without being exposed to the advertising of products which contribute to so many health, economic and social issues in our society.

Sport should be a vehicle to promote healthy lifestyles. I feel that Cricket Australia is doing a tremendous job in the promotion of the game through its 20/20 concept which is targeted towards women and children.

However, they continue to use alcohol and fast food companies as their major sponsors. I am committed to seeing change in this area and my goal is to put a stop to this type of advertising before the 2015 Cricket World Cup which will be held in Australia.

The more people that come on board with me to make this happen, the greater our voice, and our message will be heard loud and clear.

Please join me in my campaign by signing the online petition or liking our Facebook page.