Essendon great Kevin Sheedy says next season’s ‘Country Game’ will provide an important reminder of the contribution people outside the big cities make to the nation.

The Bombers will play Geelong in round four in the first ‘Country Game’.  It’s hoped the fixture could attract more than 80,000 fans.

“There are a lot of people in the bush that need to be thanked I reckon,” Sheedy told Triple M.

“We need to look back at the aspects of what they’ve been able to do for our country.

“Particularly in the time of the global financial crisis, it was a very sad time for farming in many aspects.”

In the lead up to the match, Yarra Park will be transformed in to a country festival. 

“We all know there are a lot of fantastic people in the country,” Sheedy said.

“It’s not only about farming, it’s about country people. There are about 8.5 million people that don’t live in the main cities of Australia.

“Essendon being out in the north-west passage, we’re probably closer to the country than most other clubs, other than Geelong. 

“It’s arms length from us.  A lot of our former great players and board members live in the country.” 

The Bombers and Cats will also play an annual NAB Cup match in a different country town each year.

The first installment will be in Shepparton on Saturday March 5^th.