A crowd of thousands is expected at the MCG in Melbourne today to farewell a man whose life helped define that very ground as the home of AFL.
Footy legend Ron Barassi’s state funeral will kick off today at 11am.
You can livestream the state funeral on 9Now from 10.30am AEDT here.
Barassi was the first player inaugurated into the Australian Football Hall of Fame as a “Legend” and awarded the same status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
In a career as a player, captain, and coach spanning 1953 to 1995, Barassi played 254 games, kicked 330 goals, and coached over 500 games.
He appeared in 17 grand finals – as a player and a coach – and won 10 premierships for Melbourne, Carlton, North Melbourne, and Sydney Swans.
It’s a record so far unmatched in the AFL.
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Off the field, Barassi was a strong advocate for expanding Australian rules football to a national base from the 1960s.
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He was recognised for his services to the sport with a Member of the Order of Australia award in 1978.
He was a Life Member of the Australian Football League, as well as Melbourne, Carlton, North Melbourne and Sydney Football Clubs.
Barassi died aged 87 in September after complications from a fall, surrounded by family who saluted his “long and extraordinary life”.
