Organ donation awareness at the forefront of hockey community

The importance of organ donation is set be put under the spotlight as Hockey WA acknowledges the Lizzie Watkins Organ Donor Round from Friday 3 May to Sunday 5 May.

Hockey WA is dedicating round six of the Stiles Electrical Premier League to raise awareness around the importance of organ donation and honour the legacy of the late Lizzie Watkins.

The 2024 season marks the second year of the Lizzie Watkins Organ Donor Round after the themed round was first acknowledged in 2023, allowing the WA hockey community to celebrate the contribution Lizzie made from being an organ donor and saving five lives.

Prior to the 2023 season, the North Coast Raiders would compete in a Lizzie Watkins Memorial Match, celebrating her legacy as a lifelong member of the North Coast Raiders.

North Coast Raiders player Annie Gibbs said the Lizzie Watkins Organ Donor Round continues to be a significant time for the team.

“I think being able to still come together and compete for the Lizzie Watkins Trophy is still a privilege,” she said.

“We always spend our last training session before the game talking about the importance of why we still do it so the younger girls coming through can understand the significance.

“I think it’s amazing that we have a dedicated round to spread the message about organ donation.

“We have such a close-knit community, and other clubs are on board so why not make the most of that?”

North Coast Raiders vice-president Travis Lester said the club wishes to raise even more awareness around organ donation while continuing to celebrate Lizzie’s life.

“We’ve celebrated Lizzie and her life, but we need to get the message out about organ donation because she donated her organs,” he said.

“We’re very proud of her for doing that – it’s a big thing for anyone to do, so we want to broaden the message and show people that organ donation saves lives.”

While the majority of Australians support organ and tissue donation, only around one in three people are registered to be a donor.

There are currently around 1,800 Australians on the waitlist for an organ transplant, along with a further 14,000 people on dialysis – many of whom could benefit from a kidney transplant.

In 2023, 55% of families in Australia said yes to donation when asked in a hospital setting compared to 54% in 2022.

Last year in WA, 126 people received life-saving organ transplants from 43 deceased organ donors, while 15,645 people registered to become organ donors.

Since the national DonateLife program began in 2009, more than 18,000 people have received life-saving organ transplants from more than 6,400 deceased organ donors.

It only takes one minute to register as an organ and tissue donor.

The Lizzie Watkins Organ Donor Round will commence on Friday 3 May, with Lizzie Watkins’ North Coast Raiders set to compete against Westside Wolves at Perth Hockey Stadium on Saturday 4 May from 6.30pm.

This weekend will also mark the first time the Westside Wolves will be competing for the Lizzie Watkins Memorial Trophy.

“It’s a big honour and privilege to play in a match that means more than hockey,” Westside Wolves player Ella du Preez said.

“We might not have the personal connections that the Raiders girls have but every one of us is touched by Lizzie’s story.

“It’s not just your typical Saturday match, it means so much more than that so to be part of that is an awesome opportunity for us to get out there and play with a bigger purpose.”

All North Coast Raiders teams will continue the tradition of wearing pink armbands or ribbons in honour of Lizzie and to raise awareness around organ donations.

For more information on organ donation, visit donatelife.gov.au.

The Stiles Electrical Premier League is also proudly supported by Joel Mitton of RE/MAX Extreme.