Hayden joins Test stars in annual sleepout

Head to The Chappell Foundation to donate

Test legend Matthew Hayden will be camping in his backyard tonight with daughter Grace as part of The Chappell Foundation's annual Sleepout event, which aims to raise funds and awareness for youth homelessness in Australia.

The Sleepout is traditionally held on the Sydney Cricket Ground, however due to the pandemic, a host of Aussie sportspeople past and present will be bunking down outdoors around the country, and Hayden is among them.

Having had a kayaking dad-daughter trip kyboshed by Queensland's snap lockdown, the 103-Test great will instead spend Sunday night braving the winter cold to bring attention to a situation that impacts tens of thousands of young Australians.

"We received a welcome pack and it tells us that it's 30,000 (homeless youth) doing it tough every single night," said Hayden, who also runs his own charity, The Shoreline Foundation, which provides education and employment opportunities for Indigenous students.

"That figure is mind-blowing, but even 20,000 kids, 10,000 kids – even one kid not having a home in this great country of ours is unacceptable.

"That's twice the size of Kingaroy – the town that I grew up in, to put that in perspective.

"We're a developed nation. The housing poverty situation in somewhere like India is very confronting, but here in Australia it's more of a hidden issue, and something that doesn't always get seen or recognised.

"Kids don't need much, but they do need a house, they do need love around them, and they do need a good education. With those three things, they're on their way.

"Our kids are privileged. My daughter will be involved in this Sleepout as well, and we've been talking about it, and she knows that we have a very privileged life.

"So to just get involved and understand how you can help out, and in this case for us it's more about advocacy, it's a good thing.

"This is a life-changing commitment from The Chappell Foundation, and every cent is well spent – to put a kid in a bed or a home that's got some sort of love and security, it can have an enormous impact on a life.

"It's my honour and privilege to be able to help out."

Fellow former Test players Mitchell Johnson and Ed Cowan will also be sleeping rough for the cause in Perth and Sydney respectively, while current Aussie women's stars Alyssa Healy and Meg Lanning are also among the many taking part.

The 2021 event features a first with the Sutherland family – former Cricket Australia CEO James and his cricketing children Will and Annabel – heading to their garage for the evening.

The trio has already raised more than $5,000 between them, while this year's event has already pulled in more than $50,000 overall.

Head to The Chappell Foundation to donate