Kevin Sheedy: Coaching legend believes AFL Country Match can grow to 80,000 people

With a passion for bringing country and city folk closer, Kevin Sheedy has revealed a way to make the Essendon-Geelong Country Match even bigger.

AFL legend Kevin Sheedy has sampled the atmosphere of the Mountain Calf Sales with a pledge to make the dedicated Country Match between Essendon and Geelong even bigger.

Sheedy was guest speaker at the annual producers and buyers dinner held the night before the Ensay leg of the sales this week.

Ensay’s Barry Newcomen and four-time Essendon premiership coach Kevin Sheedy at the Mountain Calf Sales. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

The three-time Richmond premiership player who went on to coach Essendon to four flags from 1984 to 2000 and then be the inaugural coach of Greater Western Sydney was the mastermind behind the Bombers-Cats Country Match that will be played again at the MCG in July.

“It (Ensay) is a fantastic area to understand the differences of people in the country and people in the city,” he said.

“It’s why the Geelong-Essendon Country Festival Match is so important, and we’re going to keep building on that.

“It’s now in about its fifth year and we want to build it up to at least 75,000 to 80,000 people.

“Last game was about 65,000 and you wouldn’t get that at Geelong.

“I’d love to eventually get every regional area to bring all the information from their region to the game.

“They need to do that if we want to put money back into country Victoria from the city people.”

Ensay Hereford sale, Ensay, Kevin Sheedy, Picture Yuri Kouzmin

Sheedy won another three-year term on the Essendon board late last year and is confident the Bombers are on the right path under second-year coach Brad Scott.

“We will have a very, very good year, I’ve got no doubt” he said.

“We will be a much better side this year and we will peak next year.”