April 2, 2025
Over 300 kids from coal communities around New South Wales have gathered in Gunnedah this month for the Coal Miners Cup, an annual composite footy comp for small schools.
Running every year since 1998, the Cup is an opportunity for kids in small country schools that aren’t able to field a full team to play competition footy.
Twenty teams participated in the 2025 Cup, coming from across the North West mining area including schools in Gunnedah, Boggabri, and Narrabri.
Started by Mining and Energy Union veteran and community activist Ross Whittaker, the emphasis of the day is getting stuck in, having a go, and enjoying yourself – not winning.
That’s not to say the kids didn’t leave it on the field. There were tries, tackles, and a few tears – a monumental effort for a group of kids who have mostly never played comp footy before.
This year’s special guest was Wade Ryan, an Australian champion boxer, underground coal miner, and MEU member. Wade, a Gunnedah local who has fought internationally for WBC, IBF and WBO titles, was a participant in the first Coal Miners Cup in 1998, which he recalls fondly:
“The Coal Miners Cup had such a healthy attitude from the get-go. It was a massive early influence on my sense of good sportsmanship and perseverance.”
The Cup is awarded to the best and fairest team on the day, with this year’s taken home by Narrabri West. With each player coming away with a showbag, however, everyone felt like a winner.”
As the Cup closes in on its thirty-year anniversary, and with a growing number of second-generation players coming through, it has truly been cemented as a fixture in the Gunnedah calendar. The Coal Miners Cup has come to signify the strong community spirit of our mining communities, coming together to uplift local kids and give them a day that they’ll never forget.
This point was not lost on Wade, who remarked:
“Days like today really show the strength of our community, but they are also a testament to people like Ross, who put their hands up to work day-in day-out for no personal benefit beyond giving back to the people around them.”
The Coal Miners Cup is proudly supported by the Mining and Energy Union, Unity Bank, and Team Super.
