Via an extremely generous donation by former Rabbitohs Director and corporate partner, Jim Hatfield, the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Hatfield family are introducing two new scholarships for Rabbitohs pathways players, supporting the next generation of South Sydney players for at least the next 35 years.
Mr Hatfield and the Rabbitohs will introduce the Rosewell & Hatfield Scholarship, named after Jim’s great uncle and former Rabbitohs player Johnny Rosewell, as well as the Jack Rayner Scholarship which is named after one of the South Sydney club’s greatest leaders in Jack Rayner, to young forwards coming through the Rabbitohs system to assist with their development into first grade players with the Club in the future. Both Mr Rosewell and Mr Rayner captained the Rabbitohs, coached the Rabbitohs’ first grade team, and won premierships with South Sydney, during their storied careers at the Club. Mr Rosewell was also a part of the inaugural Kangaroo tour of Great Britain in 1908-09, touring both England and Wales.
Mr Hatfield has pledged an initial $10,000 per year to each of the scholarships to assist young forwards with the expenses of a burgeoning football career as well as their ongoing educational needs. These annual donations will grow 2% yearly as well as accruing interest, which will be accompanied by a balloon donation of $200,000 following his passing, with the total commitment set to exceed $1 million over time, meaning the scholarships will be funded for over 35 years and beyond.
Jim has a passion for supporting the Rabbitohs pathways, and more specifically front row forwards. Jim’s donation to the pathways will go directly to Club Next Gen, a new program in the Rabbitoh Foundation which allows contributors to make a contribution to the Rabbitohs Pathways Program. This will give contributors inner sanctum access to the Club, allow them to gain insights into the Club and its pathways program, as well the ability to directly mentor pathways players.
The Rabbitohs Foundation and the South Sydney Rabbitohs would like to thank Jim for his continued support of the Club over a number of decades, which will now extend beyond his life with these generous scholarships. The South Sydney faithful live by the slogan – South Sydney ‘Til I Die. With this amazing scholarship program, Mr Hatfield has taken that ethos beyond that point!
The Rabbitohs Foundation focuses not only on the pathways of the Rabbitohs, but there is also a key focus to raise much needed funds for the Club’s community arm, Souths Cares.
For those interested in learning more about how they can make a tax-deductible contribution to the Rabbitohs Foundation and/or Souths Cares, we invite you to reach out to Bryce Kellerman at [email protected] for more information and options. Alternatively, you can donate to Souths Cares or the Rabbitohs Foundation by clicking the links below:
