By Lauren Wood, Williamstown Media
Held ahead of the Club’s final home-and-away match of the 2025 VFL season against Richmond, guests enjoyed the opportunity to watch Williamstown’s VFLW Semi Final and hear from a range of inspiring guest speakers.
One of those was Narelle Plapp, founder of Food for Health and Grain & Bake Co Australia, and wife of Williamstown Senior VFL Coach, Justin Plapp.
Narelle showed that leadership isn’t just Justin’s domain, sharing her journey of building a nationally recognised brand in the health food industry.
The Club was also fortunate to have Marlaina McPhillips emcee the event.
Marlaina works in community development for Club partner Beyond Bank and is a passionate advocate for Australians affected by breast cancer.
She was the perfect host as the luncheon proudly supported The Leigh Leigh’s — a family and friends charity group raising funds for breast cancer research.
Founded in 2021 by Lauren Philpot, sister of long-time Williamstown VFL player Max Philpot, The Leigh Leigh’s was formed during their mother Leigh’s battle with breast cancer.
Lauren and Max sadly lost their mum two years ago, just days after The Leigh Leigh’s took part in the 2023 Mother’s Day Classic event.
Since then, Lauren has continued her advocacy as an Ambassador for the Mother’s Day Classic Association, helping raise much-needed funds for breast and ovarian cancer research.
The Leigh Leigh’s walked in their very first Mother’s Day Classic in 2021 and went on to participate again in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
In 2025, they hosted their first official Mother’s Day Classic event on the Maribyrnong River, raising over $50,000 — and they’re already preparing to do so again in 2026.
Lauren and her mum shared a dream: zero deaths from breast cancer by 2030 and with support from the Williamstown and broader VFL/W community, they can keep that dream alive.
Donations were collected during the luncheon and remain open via this link https://www.mothersdayclassic.com.au/donate, providing The Leigh Leigh’s with a head start towards their 2026 Mother’s Day Classic fundraising goal.
The Williamstown Football Club extends its thanks to all who attended, supported The Leigh Leigh’s, and joined in celebrating the women who continue to make an immeasurable impact across our community.
