BLUE Ball Foundation co-founder Jamie Morgan hopes to encourage young men to go to the doctor and get themselves checked.
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This weekend’s game between two of the Bendigo Football League’s powerhouses, Sandhurst and Strathfieldsaye, will be a chance for Morgan to raise awareness of men’s health issues.
Umpires for this weekend’s game will wear Blue Ball Foundation shirts in the under-18, reserves and seniors games.
Morgan said it was a great opportunity for him to spread the word about the foundation.
“Both myself and the co-founder Mike Elliott have both gone through testicular cancer and depression as well,” he said.
“The Blue Ball Foundation is s all about getting blokes to see a doctor.
“The age range we are working with is 16 to 39.
“There are so many men in that age bracket dying because they won’t go and see a doctor.”
Bendigo Umpires Association chairman John Norton brought the idea of raising funds for a local charity to the league.
“We support a charity each year and last year raised money for breast cancer awareness so this year we looked for a charity that supported men’s health,” he said.
AFL Central Victoria regional operations manager Justin Abrams said all clubs have embraced the league’s initiatives this year.
He hoped a big crowd would pack the Queen Elizabeth Oval for Saturday's games.
The Sandhurst, Strathfieldsaye senior's game will begin at 2.20pm.
A raffle will also be held on game day.