BEN Brown has been announced as one of the finalists in the running for the 2023 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award. 

The Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award is named in honour of former Melbourne Football Club President and player Jim Stynes who passed away in 2012. 

The Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award is presented annually at the Brownlow Medal to an AFL or AFLW player who demonstrates a commitment to the community and helping others.  

 Brown has demonstrated his advocacy for children and families living with illness, holding an ambassador role for The Good Friday Appeal since 2022.  

His successful ‘Chop the Mop’ fundraising campaign rallied the entire community to raise more than $90,000 for Challenge, an organisation that supports families fighting childhood cancer. 

In addition to his fundraising efforts, the 30-year-old is also a passionate advocate for gender equality, diversity and inclusion and has volunteered his time to a number of causes. 

This includes being an active ambassador for Stand Up Events, a not-for-profit association fighting gender and sexual discrimination in Australian sport. 

Past winners of the Jim Styles Community Leadership Award include Joel Selwood (2022), Travis Boak (2021), and Bachar Houli (2020). The last Melbourne player to be recognised was Neville Jetta in 2018. 

Nominations were sought from AFL Clubs before the selection panel selected the finalists. 

The winner will receive $20,000 from the AFL and $20,000 from the Jim Stynes Foundation to be donated to the charity or community program of their choice.