Friends of SUFC

The Friends of Sydney University Football Club (the “Friends”) was founded in 1996 by Peter Hemming, Executive Chairman of Heathley Limited.  This was at a time when rugby was moving towards professionalism.  It was also a time when Sydney University Football Club was at risk of relegation.

An influential coterie of senior businessmen and professionals were approached with a plan to establish a specialised mentoring group.  This group, the Friends, has made a critical contribution to what is now one of the most successful and sustainable rugby clubs in the world, Sydney University Football Club.

The Friends has grown significantly and currently has over 55 prominent senior business executives and professionals across many industries.  All of them are committed to mentoring the players of the Club although, interestingly, only one third of them played rugby for Sydney University and only one half of the Friends attended the University of Sydney, but all are committed to assisting the players and the Club.

The Friends provides two significant contributions:

1. A mentoring programme for the players aimed to assist them in succeeding in their business and professional careers.

2. Annual subscription donations for the Sydney University Football Club Foundation.

One of the ways in which the Friends facilitates the meeting of players and establishing relationships with our Members is through its mentoring functions.  These functions are sponsored by the company or firm of individual Members and the athletes are firstly addressed by a range of senior businessmen, former Wallabies and past and current Olympians.  There then follows an evening of developing individual relationships between the mentors and the players.

During these functions, addresses have been made by:

Wallabies
Major Sponsor
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