Australian football’s marquee mental health initiative is set to go to another level, as Spud’s Game 6 coincides with the first ever AFL and AFLW doubleheader at Marvel Stadium on Sunday 9 August.

Spud’s Game is Australian sport’s largest mental health fundraising event, with all funds donated to the Danny Frawley Community at Black Dog Institute supporting mental fitness, wellbeing and suicide prevention programs, mental health education and training for schools, sporting clubs and workplaces, and ongoing research.

SPUD'S HUB: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

This year’s campaign 'Better Together' will also raise awareness of the importance of community and connection when it comes to tackling better mental fitness. Sport plays a key role in bringing people together and that’s exactly what Spud’s Game 6 will do with a whole week of events planned leading into the matches. 

As part of the weeklong activities, Spud’s Ride will return for a second year, with celebrities, workplaces and fans to embark on an eight-hour cycling relay around Marvel Stadium (Friday 7 August – 2-10pm).

In the spirit of this year’s tagline - ‘Better Together’ - participants will ride side-by-side given social connections, such as spending time with friends, being part of a team, and joint exercise are shown to build mental fitness.

Early confirmed participants include Saints great Aaron Hamill, former umpire Ray Chamberlain, Olympic gold medallist Steve Hooker, Oarsome Foursome star James Tomkins, and former Geelong AFLW captain Meg McDonald.

The inaugural Spud’s Summit will be held at the Danny Frawley Centre and bring together leaders from government, research, healthcare and sport together to explore how we can improve mental fitness and wellbeing through prevention, early intervention and connection. 

An industry roundtable involving the AFL, AFLPA, media partners and mental health agencies will also take place, with a focus on how AFL media reporting can help reduce public stigma around mental health, normalise help seeking, and ensure mental health is safely discussed through the prism of sport.

At a community level, the first ever round of Spud’s Games will be held in the Central Highlands Football League on August 8 – where a young Danny honed his craft for Bungaree. Participating clubs will be provided with vital mental fitness resources to guide conversations at club level.

Fans heading to Spud’s Game will be treated to an action-packed event, as the St Kilda and Carlton football clubs unite to put mental health back on the big stage as well as honour the memory of the great Danny ‘Spud’ Frawley whose staunch advocacy in this space paved the way. 

Fans are urged to get there early with limited-edition commemorative tote bags to be issued to the first 4,000 St Kilda and 1,000 Carlton members through the turnstiles. Stadium pies and chips will also be on sale for $3 during the AFLW match.

As the game’s official health partner, Medibank is championing mental fitness in the game, highlighting that fitness isn't just physical. Ahead of the men’s match at Marvel Stadium, The Hardest Kick, supported by Medibank, will see soon to be announced local celebrities go head-to-head in a goal-kicking challenge, with every goal resulting in a donation from Medibank to Danny Frawley Community, part of Black Dog Institute.

Fans can also visit the Medibank Interchange Bench on the concourse, a dedicated space designed to encourage connection with select St Kilda players and special guests set to make appearances throughout the day.

The now traditional two-minute moment before Spud’s Game has been re-imagined in Danny’s warm image this year, with playing groups set to join forces alongside special guests who will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Click here to buy tickets to the first ever AFL-AFLW doubleheader (AFLW – 4.35pm and AFL – 7.20pm) at Marvel Stadium on Sunday 9 August.

Click here to donate to Spud’s Game.

Key mental health statistics:

• 3,307 Australians died by suicide last year
• One in five Australians experienced a mental illness in the past year – equating to 4.3 million people
• 75% of mental health issues begin before the age of 25
• The Danny Frawley Community has delivered mental fitness programs to over 30,000 people in communities across Australia.