Wider community rallies around Michael Pisker following horrific football injury

The wider community is rallying around Victorian footballer Michael Pisker after the 26-year-old suffered horrific injuries during a match just under a fortnight ago.

Michael, playing for St Kevin’s Old Boys Football Club (SKOBFC) in the Premier Division, remains in an induced coma with confirmation coming to light that Pisker has lost permanent sight in his right eye and will remain in a coma.

The power of kinship and the human spirit has been on show since the incident with an outpouring of emotion and show of support coming from those close to the Pisker family and his loyal friends.

On a personal note, I’ve been lucky enough to know Michael during my time at St Kevin’s College as well as on the footy field and I can’t speak more highly of him as a person.

As loyal as they come to those close to him, Michael faces a long and tough recovery and his family needs our support.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for Pisker’s medical bills and living expenses while he recovers, and we ask, if in a position possible, to donate as we look to eclipse the $300,000 goal.

President of SKOBFC Patrick Mount joined SEN’s Whateley to provide an update on Pisker’s condition and how we can support his family.

“The confirmed injuries are obviously the impact to his head and in particular around the eye in terms of fractures and so on,” Mount explained.

“We have had confirmation that he has had suffered permanent loss of vision in his right eye and the real sort of question that needs to be answered is around that he is in an induced coma, obviously regarding the impact to the brain and we are hopeful that there is no long-term affects on that but until he is brought out of that coma, we won’t know for sure.

“We’ve been in regular contact with his family providing as much support as we can.

“We’ve launched a GoFundMe page with the blessing of the family, his mother Alexandra put that up on Saturday and it has been quite incredible the support, not just from the St Kevin’s community but from across the competition.

“I look at the list of donors and I there’s been over 1200 individual donations. Opposition players and clubs, there’s been incredibly generous support from across the competition and across the football world.”

Mount continued: “(AFL CEO) Andrew Dillon has been fantastic, he’s reached out both to me and the club as well as reaching out and speaking to the family which is really important.

“We’re just encouraging everyone to please donate and for us to have that money there as we know it’s going to be a very long road for him, he’s not just going to wake up and walk out of hospital the next day.

“It’s going to be a long period of rehabilitation to get himself right. He is an absolutely first-class young man on and off the field, super popular and is the heart and soul of the team so we’re all going to do what we can to support in the long term.”

You can donate here or head to the GoFundMe website and search ‘Michael Pisker’.