When a group of retired footy stars trotted on to Whitten Oval one night 20 years ago, little did they know what they were starting.
Lacing up for another kick, playing under floodlights trucked down from Sydney and positioned in the backyards of neighbouring Footscray homes, the players were the advance guard of the now annual Legends game.
Fast-forward 20 years and the game has become an institution, raising invaluable funds for the EJ Whitten Foundation and the fight against prostate cancer.
Ted Whitten jnr told
Star Weekly the game cast a spotlight on men’s health while serving as a fitting tribute to his late father, the charismatic ‘Mr Football’, EJ ‘Ted’ Whitten, who died in 1995 following his own public battle with prostate cancer.
“The game is played in memory of my father. But more than just the game itself, it’s the cause – more than 20,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in Australia each year, resulting in 3300 deaths,” Ted jnr said.
He said nobody at that first match imagined the Legends game would still be alive and kicking 20 years on.
“Not in my wildest dreams did I think the game would last this long, but it’s continued to grow each year.”
He said it would be great to see the stars of the past lace up again next Tuesday night, giving younger fans a chance to see some footy icons on the field.
More than 60 AFL greats will be strapping on the boots, including Scott West, Damian Monkhorst, Luke Ball, Matthew Lloyd and Brendan Fevola, for Victoria, and Richard Champion, Michael Osborne, Jeff Farmer, Troy Luff and Shane Crawford for the All Stars.
The Ray White EJ Whitten Legends game will be played at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, June 30. Gates open 6pm.
Details: www.legendsgame.com.au
