Gold Coast's biggest support Tom Tate is backing the Titans to get the job done this Saturday against the Storm with the City Mayor to also take part in a very important role for this weekend's Multicultural Round.
Hailing from Thai heritage, the Coast's leader will deliver the match ball ahead of kick-off, wearing traditional attire to celebrate his culture and background; and encourages everyone to do the same as they burst through the gates of Cbus Super Stadium for the club's first home game of the year.
Match: Titans v Storm
Round 3 -
home Team
Titans
5th Position
away Team
Storm
13th Position
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
"Congratulations to the Titans for celebrating Multicultural Round this week," Mayor Tate said.
"I say to everyone on the Gold Coast, a third of us are from somewhere around the world... we are born overseas a lot of us and to be able to celebrate multiculturalism on the Gold Coast with the Titans is so wonderful. In the team itself, even a third of them are from overseas, so it's a reflection on modern times.
"The Gold Coast was voted the 10th most welcome city in the world and that's because we are so welcoming of people from all over the world.
"I encourage Gold Coasters to come on down and join in this celebration."
Saturday will see history made on two fronts... the club will be the first in the NRL to host a citizenship ceremony pre-game, with 50 people set to be welcomed as new Australians; as well as the Titans welcoming the first pair of brothers who will play for the first time - younger sibling Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui making his debut alongside captain Tino in the clash.
With the Titans boasting 12 players with Pasifika heritage and a further six from First Nations backgrounds; the honour to be able to bring all cultures together is incredibly humbling for Titans chairman Dennis Watt.
"It is a very special day. We've had a strong culture within our club of celebrating people from diverse backgrounds and that certainly helps with players from overseas and other cultures to feel very much at home," he said.
"It's an important day for them, certainly to be part of the Titans, but also to represent their families and their cultures and nations with absolute pride."
Multicultural Round events
- First ever citizenship ceremony at an NRL game (welcoming 50 new citizens)
- 40 multicultural ambassadors joining in a pre-game event before forming a guard of honour for the Titans' runout
- Multicultural performers will be on the precinct performing prior to the game
- Players arriving in their cultural traditional attire
