NSW Police and international students will take to the sands of Coogee this weekend to compete in their seventh annual beach soccer tournament.
Twenty-seven teams – comprised of NSW police and students from over 60 countries – will compete in the tournament, which kicks off at Coogee Beach at 8am today (Sunday 29 September 2019).
The tournament is regarded as one of the largest beach soccer days in Australia and focuses on building relationships between officers and international students, celebrating multiculturalism and enjoying the world game.
Police from across the organisation, including general duties officers and specialist police from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, Marine Area Command, Mounted Unit and Recruitment Branch, will be attending and participating in the event.
Officers will be available to provide information to international students on laws in NSW which may assist them in adjusting to life whilst studying in Australia, and Randwick City Council Lifeguards and Surf Life Saving NSW will be available to educate the students on the importance of beach safety.
NSW Police Force Major Events and Emergency Management Commander, Detective Superintendent Gavin Dengate, said the tournament has become a calendar highlight for the international community since it was first held in 2013.
"This tournament is now in its seventh year and continues to go from strength to strength – building positive relationships between the international student community and police," Det Supt Dengate said.
"The beach soccer tournament helps us kick goals both on and off the sand as we know that building trust between us is vital as there are currently over 300,000 international students here in NSW.
"As always, we would encourage them to share their positive experiences with NSW Police with their fellow students both here and abroad," Det Supt Dengate said.
This year, the students will be joined by celebrity guest, 2019 MasterChef Australia winner, Larissa Takchi. At just 22-years-old Larissa is the youngest competitor to be victorious in the reality TV show.
Several consulates will be attending Coogee beach where they will participate in the Sydney Consulates 'International Food Tour', highlighting food from their respective countries, which has been a very successful addition to the tournament in recent years. The event will be judged by MasterChef winner Larissa Takchi
NSW Police would like to thank the major sponsors of the day being Study NSW and Multicultural NSW, both State Government agencies. Randwick City Council and Sonder.
NSW Police would like to thank the partner and government agencies involved, as well and the major sponsors, Study NSW, Multicultural NSW, Randwick City Council and Sonder for their support.
