The Daniher family name has long been intertwined with the AFL, but now, it will also become a part of the PDFNL.
Australian rules football legend Neale Daniher’s Fight MND (motor neuron disease) foundation has become a cornerstone of the AFL season as part of the Big Freeze King’s Birthday match between Melbourne and Collingwood.
Every club in the PDFNL will be selling Fight MND beanies and socks prior to the King’s Birthday game on June 9.
In the lead-up to the fixture is the now-famous Big Freeze pre-game show where celebrities arrive in fancy dress before being shot down a slide into a pool of icy water - and PDFNL fans could win front-row access to the entertainment.
Each time someone purchases Fight MND socks or beanies from a PDFNL club they will receive an entry into a draw that league operations manager Shane Railton said football fans will not want to miss.
“Each person that buys them, there will be two draws, each of two tickets to the match, to the Big Freeze match - the seats are beside the big slide,” Railton said.
“We haven’t set a target (for how much we want to raise) as such.
“We know from enquiries from clubs that some of our clubs are on the way, as in some clubs might sell 100 items.
“If we could raise $2,500 per club for the foundation, it would be a massive effort.”
The league said it was thrilled to be on board with the Fight MND foundation when its interest was gauged this year.
Railton hopes the connection between the PDFNL and Fight MND can become an annual tradition.
“When we put it to the clubs they jumped straight on board; we expect it will continue on,” he said.
“Fight MND is something we need to bring to the country, it needs to be recognised that people in the country do get affected.
“It’s not just Neale Daniher and famous people like that, it’s everyday people from all walks of life that are being (affected).
“It has a massive effect on their families and their lives and it has the effect whether you live in the country or the city and we just want to draw that awareness.”
Railton said the league understands the importance of connecting with and supporting the community through charities such as Fight MND.
“We are obviously one of the bigger leagues in country Victoria and NSW and health and communities are the biggest portion of our league,” he said.
“A whole lot of our decision-making is based on community focus and how we can make our community stronger.
“We are doing the (Terry Socks it to Cancer), which is a cancer campaign.
“We did mental health stuff just this last weekend, Strathmerton did a mental health thing.
“These causes, if nothing else, it drives people to have a chat and hopefully people are able to get diagnosed early and receive treatment to prolong their life and that is what it is all about.”
