Perth SC and Stirling Macedonia come together in Round Seven of the NPLWA – Men’s competition in the annual DT38 fixture at Dorrien Gardens.
The teams will play for the Dylan Tombides Trophy and commemorate the life of the Australian U17 international who was a junior with both clubs.
Tombides passed away in 2014 aged 20 following a battle with testicular cancer and the DT38 Foundation, named after the West Ham United striker, continues his legacy to raise awareness and provide education of men’s health issues with a focus on testicular cancer.
The captains of the two teams will lead their sides out in DT38 T-Shirts, with the ball boys and ball girls at Dorrien Gardens also decked out in DT38 tops. A round of applause will take place at the 38-minute mark for the Perth-born striker, to correspond with Dylan’s shirt number which West Ham retired after his death, while there will be opportunities to donate to the foundation on the day.
DT38 Head of Media & Operations Donna Giuffre said it was terrific to see both teams involved as the foundation continues to spread its message.
“It’s always a special match between these two clubs given Dylan’s home is here in Perth and having both of his junior clubs play it out each season is amazing,” she said.
“It’s another step in honouring Dylan and his passion for the game. We’ve just had the DT38 x Perth Glory A-Leagues awareness match and as always it was a huge success and emotional for all involved.
“We have West Ham United coming over in July and are working on a few activations, so watch this space and as always head to DT38.org, or feel free to get in touch with me directly for any further information.
“Cancer does not discriminate and Dylan is the perfect example of that. He was a fit young man with the world at his feet until the terrible disease took his life. Our purpose is to honour Dylan’s memory, but also to ensure each step we take is helping educate those around us.
“Don’t be flippant about your health and if something is not right, please go and get medical advice. It’s so vital.”
On the pitch, the Azzurri dropped from first to fourth in the league last weekend following a surprising 5-0 defeat to bottom side Olympic Kingsway. They will be hoping to rediscover the form which saw them defeat defending champions Floreat Athena and Perth Glory in Rounds Five and Six.
Stirling are looking for a return to winning ways after a 3-1 home loss to Bayswater City last week made it three defeats in four matches.
Elsewhere on Saturday afternoon, leaders Perth RedStar face Perth Glory at RedStar Arena in a meeting between first and third.
Callum Salmon’s side, who lead the table on goal difference from Bayswater and Glory, look as though they are starting to click into gear with three wins in their past four matches.
Glory will want to continue their positive start to the campaign, having broken a three-game winless run against Cockburn City.
Bayswater are the form team in the league with three straight wins. They welcome Floreat Athena at the weekend, who have dropped their last two matches and last season Gareth Naven’s side winning the corresponding fixture 6-1.
Armadale bounced backed from three games without a win in all competitions with an impressive 3-0 victory at Floreat last time. This week they host a Balcatta team who have won all three of their away games so far with both sides sitting one point off the summit.
Cockburn also have a record of three wins and three losses and this week they take on Inglewood United, who despite their inconsistent start are now three games unbeaten in all competitions.
The weekend’s final game sees Sorrento return to Percy Doyle Reserve for the first time since a 7-1 hammering by Perth RedStar. They face northern neighbours Olympic Kingsway, who can move off the bottom with three points in only their second away fixture of the season.
Fixtures
Saturday (3pm)
Armadale v Balcatta Etna
Bayswater City v Floreat Athena
Cockburn City v Inglewood United
Perth RedStar v Perth Glory
Perth SC v Stirling Macedonia
Sorrento v Olympic Kingsway