MSCAN & Melbourne Renegades Media Release
18th December 2024
Tamara Dawson
3 min read
From Sixes to Skin Checks: Melbourne Renegades team up to drive skin cancer awareness message at the cricket.
The Melbourne Renegades have partnered with the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network (MSCAN) to help raise crucial awareness of the dangers of sun-exposure and the importance of sun-safety this summer.
- Australia’s ‘national cancer’, two in three Aussies will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer in their lifetime1: With one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world sadly, one Australian will die every six hours from melanoma– that’s over 1,300 Australians a year.2
- Despite prevalence of this deadly disease, we’re just not heeding the message: Most young Australians (74%) aged between 18-30 years believe their risk of getting skin cancer is unlikely with almost 1 in 3 young Australians (31%) believing it’s fine to suntan at their age.3
- Melbourne Renegade fans to get free skin checks to help prevent skin cancer: On game day on Thursday 19th of December, MSCAN is giving cricket fans the opportunity to experience the very latest in skin check technology and get ahead in protecting their skin.
DECEMBER, MELBOURNE: The Melbourne Renegades have partnered with skin cancer advocacy organisation, MSCAN, to put skin cancer squarely on the pitch for cricket fans this summer. The collaboration looks to encourage Australians to know their skin, protect themselves from the dangers of UV exposure, and be proactive in checking their skin.
At Thursday’s match (19th of December) against the Hobart Hurricanes, Cricket fans will get the chance to take advantage of free skin checks with leading dermatologists from the Victorian Melanoma Service at The Alfred. Fans can also experience firsthand the use of technology that shows the extent of UV damage on the face and indicates an individual’s true skin age.
We know the Australian sun is harsh. In 2023, over 18,000 Australians were diagnosed with melanoma – skin cancer’s deadliest form.4 Yet with many young people still tanning regularly (20.6% aged 15-24 years), we still have a lot to learn about sun safety.5
“It only takes 10 minutes in the sun for your skin to start to burn and that damage will last a lifetime. Being sun safe doesn’t mean you have to miss out on summer or the cricket, and it can save your life.” said Tamara Dawson, Founder and CEO of MSCAN.
Cricketers can spend up to eight hours in the sun on game day and a recent study with the Melbourne Renegades found 90% of players had been burnt in the past season during matches.6 In partnering with MSCAN, Melbourne Renegades players are improving their sun safe behaviours to prevent skin cancer. This includes wearing a hat and sunscreen, covering their skin with long sleeves and pants, seeking out shade and wearing sunglasses.
A melanoma survivor herself, Tamara said the early signs of skin cancer can often go unchecked: “Less than half (40%) of the cricket players we surveyed knew what to look for when checking their skin for skin cancer. Knowing your skin and checking it regularly using the ABCDE method is so important. Prevention and early detection is a choice we can all make to help avoid skin cancer.”
The ABCDE is a method endorsed by MSCAN and the medical community when checking for signs of a suspicious mole on your skin: A for Asymmetry, B for Border, C for Colour, D for Diameter and E for Evolving (or changing).7
For Melbourne Renegades player Josh Brown, the message around sun-safety and skin cancer has taken on a whole new meaning after his mum had a melanoma removed not long ago: “It was a serious excision, very confronting at the time, but we’re so relieved the cancer was detected early. It saved my mum’s life. Ever since then, I undergo yearly checks and never leave the house without applying sunscreen. It has really opened my eyes to the dangers. Being a cricketer means I’m exposed to a lot of sun, for long periods of time, so I’m super cautious and remind my teammates of the dangers too.”
Cricket enthusiast and Geelong local, attending the Melbourne Renegades match with his two sons on Thursday 19th December, James Collier, has been diagnosed twice with melanoma, the second spreading beyond his skin to other parts of his body: “I’ve never been an outdoor person, I don’t enjoy the beach or work outside so having not one, but two, melanomas removed has been a shock. It has had a big impact on my family who I rely on now to support me as I battle advanced skin cancer.”
On display at the Melbourne Renegades match on Thursday the 19th of December in Geelong will be game changing technology for skin cancer detection: The VISIA system which identifies the true skin age of a person and shows UV damage on the face, and the VECTRA 3D full-body imaging system. This technology will empower individuals, improve access to skin checks and ensure the right people have access to the right skin check at the right time. For MSCAN, this advancement in skin check technology is providing the infrastructure to support a much-needed Targeted National Screening Program for Australia.
“With this technology, we have the ability to quickly and accurately check for signs of skin cancer for Aussies that are at high risk. This knowledge can help people all over Australia better understand and manage their risk of skin cancer,” said Tamara Dawson.
END
This press release has been distributed by Ogilvy Health on behalf of MSCAN and the Melbourne Renegades.
About Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network (MSCAN)
The Melanoma & Skin Cancer Advocacy Network (MSCAN) is spearheading the battle against Australia’s national cancer – skin cancer. MSCAN is an innovative, independent, consumer-led, national charity established to address the needs of Australians with a skin cancer diagnosis and to deliver policy reform that will help shape the way skin cancer is considered and managed in this country.
About the Melbourne Renegades
Melbourne Renegades are a professional franchise cricket club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in both the men’s and women’s Big Bash leagues (W/BBL). As of the 2024/25 season, the men’s team is coached by Cameron White and captained by Will Sutherland. The women’s team, which won the most recent WBBL Championship, is coaches by Simon Helmot and captained by Sophie Molineux.
About the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network Sun Safety Behaviour Survey
MSCAN conducted a survey that looked at the sun safety behaviours that are currently employed by Melbourne Renegades players. This survey was distributed to the Melbourne Renegades Cricket squad on Tuesday 3 December 2024. There were 10 respondents who were prompted with questions about their behaviours in relation to sun safety within their profession as cricket players. This included behaviours
- Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network. (2024, July 9). Facts and figures. MSCAN. https://mscan.org.au/learning-hub/skin-cancer/facts-and-figures/
- Melanoma Institute Australia (2023). Melanoma Facts. [online] Melanoma Institute Australia. Available at: https://melanoma.org.au/about-melanoma/melanoma-facts/.
- Cancer Council (2023). End The Trend | Campaign Hub | Cancer Council Australia. [online] www.cancer.org.au. Available at: https://www.cancer.org.au/get-involved/campaign-hub/end-the-trend.
- Cancer Australia (2024). Melanoma of the skin statistics. [online] Cancer Australia. Available at: Melanoma of the skin statistics | Cancer Australia
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024). Sun protection behaviours, Nov 2023 to Feb 2024. [online] Australian Bureau of Statistics. Available at: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/sun-protection-behaviours/latest-release.
- Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network Sun Safety Behavior Questions Survey
- Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network (2024). Early detection of skin cancer – MSCAN. [online] MSCAN. Available at: https://mscan.org.au/learning-hub/skin-cancer/early-detection/.