Weekly Times | GEELONG and Essendon are in negotiations to stage an annual “farmers game” that the clubs hope will become the next showpiece event on the AFL fixture.
Club bosses are working with the AFL to strike a feature match that celebrates the significant role regional communities play in the economy.
It is the brainchild of Essendon legend Kevin Sheedy, who hopes the event will eventually hold the same landmark status as the Dreamtime at the ’G, Eastern Monday, Queens Birthday and Anzac Day matches.
His vision is for the match to be played at the MCG with the concourse and carpark areas transformed into a farming show of machines, displays and animals.
A pre-season match in a country town is also in the pipeline, to reach out to the heartlands and embrace people who may not otherwise be able to attend matches.
“Essendon and ourselves have been talking about this for over a year now,” Geelong chief executive Brian Cook said. “The aim of this is more about promotion, to highlight the significance of regional Australia and, in particular, the farmers and their contribution to Australia’s economy — now and into the future.
“Overall it’s a promotion of regional centres, highlighting the farmers as one of those major groups, and the contribution that regional Australia makes to our gross domestic product, our employment and our future.”
Cook admitted the AFL was yet to commit the idea.
Geelong asked as to whether “farmers games” could be staged at Simonds Stadium before issues about capacity were raised, with Sheedy confident the event could fill the MCG.
“I think Kevin’s vision is a lot more advanced than ours,” Cook said.
“He’s been thinking about this for years and tried to get this up with GWS.
“It has got legs, there’s no doubt about that, because there is no promotion within the AFL that we’re aware of that says, ‘this is how significant the regional economy and regional cities are to the AFL and Australia’.
“He’s come up with the idea and owned the idea and tried to promote it. I’ve got a feeling it will come to fruition.”
Sheedy returned to the Bombers this year as the general manager of commercial development and innovation.
Originally published as Sheeds hatches ‘farmers game’