Weekly Times |COUNTRY football matches are coming live to free-to-air television.
The Ellinbank and District league match between Koo Wee Rup and Cora Lynn will be broadcast on Channel 31 on Sunday.
The Local Footy Show televised two Essendon District league grand finals last year, but the show’s producer and co-host, Daryl Pitman, said this was the first time it had broadcast a country game.
“We want to bring into the loungerooms of people who love their footy just what it’s like at a country game,” Pitman said.
“We want to spotlight not only the game of footy but the region, the tourism in the area, and just tell people a little bit about the area, show them the area through a game of football — it’s kind of like(travel show) Postcards meets (soccer program) Match of the Day.”
In choosing the Ellinbank and District match, Pitman said it was “not the highest standard of footy but it represents what country footy is all about”, and the two clubs had “always been very supportive and they expressed great interest”.
Koo Wee Rup comes into the match fresh off a bye in Round 11 and has claimed top position on the ladder after Bunyip’s 80-point loss to Neerim Neerim South.
Meanwhile reigning premier Cora Lynn will be out to bounce back from a seven-point loss to Nar Nar Goon.
Pitman — who will share calling duties with Ian Bennett while Kevin Murphy will be riding the boundary on Sunday — said they hoped to broadcast more country games before the end of the season, culminating in a month of country and metro grand finals.
Sunday’s broadcast, which is available on digital channel 44, will start at 2pm.