On the field this Saturday, the Bacchus Marsh and Darley clash will be as fierce as ever.
But the clubs will also be teaming up to support and raise money for a great cause.
As a pre-cursor to the big Ballarat Football League derby at Maddingley Park, there will be a Slide for MND event, with coaches, presidents and locals taking the plunge into the ice water to raise money for the Neale Daniher-led Freeze MND charity.
Bacchus Marsh football operations manager Adam Sutherland said it was shaping up to be a memorable day.
“It made sense to do it this weekend, and against Darley, so there will be a big crowd,” he said. “It’s really been gathering some momentum now that the sliders have been announced and we hope the whole community gets down to support the day and then see a great game of footy after.
“We hope this will become an annual thing.”
Among the sliders on the day will be former AFL players Heath Scotland (current Darley coach) and Brent Moloney, local policeman Matt Gellie (who will slide in full uniform), and Bacchus Marsh coach Pete Davey.
Mr Sutherland said the motor neurone disease cause had touched the whole football community in recent years.
“Footy has been a great vehicle for this cause and it’s really in our consciousness at this time of year,” he said.
The celebrity slides will happen immediately after the reserves game about 2pm on Saturday.
More than $12,300 had been raised for the cause when Star Weekly went to print.
