Mparntwe with Melbourne Football Club

Minum Barreng was pleased to join with the Melbourne Football Club (MFC) once again for a weekend of community engagement and eye health promotion around the MFC vs. St Kilda AFL game at Traeger Park on Sunday, 1 June 2025.

Since 2010, Minum Barreng has partnered with MFC to use the power of football to support trachoma elimination efforts. Each year when MFC plays in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), players and staff visit local communities alongside Milpa and the Minum Barreng trachoma team. Together, they deliver important hygiene messages, ‘Clean Faces, Strong Eyes’ and ‘Milpa’s Six Steps to Stop Germs’ , reinforcing the commitment to eliminating trachoma in remote communities.

Highlights of the 2025 trip included a visit to Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa), the Footy4Life clinic in Mparntwe, the vibrant Todd Mall markets, and an energetic game day shared with the Nyirripi community and footy supporters at Traeger Park.

Though MFC was not victorious on the scoreboard, MFC captain Max Gawn reflected after the game that the true value of these matches extends beyond wins and losses. There is a greater good being served with MFC games in Alice Springs, the centre of Australia…and that certainly includes engaging with community and supporting ongoing efforts to eliminate trachoma.

For more videos and photos from the weekend, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as Melbourne Football Club’s Facebook and Instagram.