Round 13 of the AFL season will see Melbourne and Collingwood face off in the 21st Queen’s Birthday Match, also since 2015 hosting the Big Freeze at the ‘G fund raiser.

The Collingwood/Melbourne Queen’s Birthday match goes back much further than 2001, when it was instituted as an annual fixture in the AFL.

It’s not too late to organise your Collingwood v Melbourne tickets for the Queens Birthday match

The two clubs first faced off in the match way back in 1898. Melbourne defeated Collingwood by 10 points – 6.10 46 to 5.6 36.

The team’s real rivalry heated up in the 1950’s and 60’s when the two clubs were powerhouses in the Victorian Football League.

Melbourne had won three Grand Finals in a row between 1955 and 1957, defeating Collingwood in 1955 and ’56.

The two sides met again in the 1958 Grand Final, with Melbourne gunning to equal Collingwood’s record of four Grand Final wins in a row, in front of a crowd of 97,956 people.

Collingwood put a stop to that, defeating Melbourne by 18 points, and taking their 13th Premiership victory. Collingwood’s record of four Grand Finals from 1927 to 1930 still stands to this day.

The match is a big earner for the Melbourne Football Club, and the Big Freeze event raises millions of dollars every year for Motor Neuron Disease research.

The match has not always been plain sailing. In 2008, after years of poor attendance, the AFL threatened to replace Melbourne with another club if attendance – and therefore profits from the match – did not improve.

Crowds improved, starting in 2015, when the Big Freeze at the ‘G first took place in front of 66,120 people, to 2018 when a record 83,518 attended.

The match was not played in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and stadium capacity was restricted to 16,453 in 2021.

The Big Freeze

During the Big Freeze event, a number of football personalities are sent down a water slide into a giant pool of ice water.

The Big Freeze event raised $2.2 million in its first year, increasing to a record $14.6 million in 2021.

Once nominated for the event, the personalities pledge to raise $10,000 for MND research. Once they hit that target, they get to nominate another football personality. This process continues up until the game.

The event, supposed to be an entertaining fundraiser, hit some controversy in 2016. Then Collingwood President Eddie McGuire had to apologise for offering money to send football journalist Caroline Wilson down the slide, and more to keep her under water.

As well as the Queen’s Birthday match Melbourne will be hosting Collingwood at the MCG in round 21. For a big game like this one it’s best to ensure you have the best seats in the house with Melbourne v Collingwood Medallion Club tickets.