Geelong superstar Steve Johnson is the latest player to become a Ladder ambassador.

The announcement was made at a media conference in Geelong, where we were announced as the official partner of Geelong’s Cats in the Community Program.

Former Essendon player and Ladder CEO Mark Bolton commended Geelong for their leadership role in this area and welcomed Steve Johnson to the team.

“We are thrilled to have been announced as the official partner of the Cats in the Community Program,” said Bolton.

“On-field, Geelong have experienced great success in recent years, but off field their commitment to the community has been just as impressive and made them a leader in the industry.

“By 2020 Ladder aim to have a presence in every region that hosts an AFL team, and it’s fantastic that Geelong is the first team to step up and help us to make this vision a reality”

Bolton presented Steve Johnson with his own Ladder guernsey as he spoke about his passion for the cause and the importance of players taking a lead on this issue.

“I am really happy to be on board as the ambassador for Ladder. Youth homelessness is a prominent issue in our community and I am looking forward to helping out in any way I can”, said Johnson.

While AFL hopefuls idolise Johnson for his football prowess, it is his life skills which will be his greatest asset in helping the young people in the program on their path to independence and breaking the cycle of youth homelessness.

“Many of these young people just need a little support and encouragement to build their confidence and get things back on track,” said Johnson.

“Like anyone else, these young people have dreams and aspirations and the work Ladder does in helping them develop the skills and pathways to achieve these goals is exceptional.”

Bolton has been involved with the organisation since its conception and said AFL players play a crucial role in not only raising awareness of this very serious national issue but also finding a solution.

“When we began this organisation in 2007, we were faced with the reality that on any given night over 100,000 people in Australia are homeless,” said Bolton.

“Today, we know it is around 105,000 and as a nation we believe this is unacceptable. That’s more than the capacity of the MCG and nearly half of these people are under the age of 25.

“AFL Players play an important role in not only raising awareness about this situation, but they also contribute financially with $25 from every player donated for every senior game they play.

“Last year this equalled $150,000 which was matched by the AFL equalling a $300,000 contribution from the AFL industry.”

Ladder has been announced as the official charity of the 2012 AFL Toyota Finals Series campaign – “This Is Greatness”.

As part of this announcement, We have launched the annual Pin & Win campaign, with pins online and at all finals venues.