The AFL has stood with FightMND as a major partner from day one, helping create and shape the Big Freeze we know and love. Together, we have turned the MCG blue on King’s Birthday each year, uniting footy fans against the Beast.
AFL
AFL and FightMND
The AFL has stood with FightMND as a major partner from day one, helping create and shape the Big Freeze we know and love.
Through the AFL’s generosity and support, we have built a world-class event, turning the MCG blue on King’s Birthday each year at the Collingwood vs. Melbourne match and raising vital funds and awareness for motor neurone disease (MND) research through merch sales around the grounds.
Uniting footy fans against the Beast, the iconic gameday also honours the incredible contribution FightMND’s co-founder and former Melbourne coach Neale Daniher has made in footy and the Australian MND community.
Big Freeze and the AFL: A Partnership Making a National Impact
On a crisp June day in 2015, the MCG became more than just a place for football. It became the birthplace of a movement that united fans, players and clubs in the fight against motor neurone disease (MND). The annual Monarch’s Birthday clash between Melbourne and Collingwood at the MCG was the stage for the very first Big Freeze at the ’G. Sparked by the vision of Neale Daniher, Melbourne’s former coach, determined to use his MND diagnosis to inspire hope and unity.
Behind the scenes, while caring for his wife Angie who was living with MND and working in the operations team at the AFL, FightMND Co-founder Pat Cunningham helped bring the concept to life. With his deep personal connection to the cause and sheer determination, Pat and Neale secured the league’s support and made the Big Freeze a reality.
That partnership came to life in front of a packed MCG. Fans put rivalries aside to don the now-iconic Big Freeze Beanie, transforming the stadium into a sea of blue. It was a moment that showed football’s true power. To bring people together for something greater than the game itself.
Since then, the Big Freeze has become not just an annual spectacle but a cornerstone of the AFL calendar. Through broadcast support, match-day activations, and players and coaches taking the icy plunge, the league has helped amplify the message and inspire action.
And the movement has grown well beyond the MCG. AFL clubs have carried the campaign into their own communities. The Adelaide Crows introduced the SA Freeze at Adelaide Oval. In Queensland, the Brisbane Lions led the QLD Freeze, rallying supporters in the Sunshine State. In the west, the West Coast Eagles embraced the WA Freeze, adding their own personal connection through Neale’s time coaching at the club.
Beyond the elite level, community football has also thrown its weight behind the cause. With the introduction of the Big Freeze Community Round, grassroots players, coaches, and fans pull up their Big Freeze Socks, don their Beanies and take a stand against MND, showing that the fight reaches far beyond professional stadiums.
Today, the sight of Big Freeze Beanie filling stadiums is as iconic as team scarves and colours. The partnership between the AFL and FightMND has helped the Big Freeze grow into a national movement. One that celebrates resilience, inspires generosity and proves the incredible impact sport can have when it unites behind a cause.