zkf tribute match in geelong a sea of purple

It is a week that fills Lach Kennedy with immense pride and sadness at the same time.

When his old side Bell Park faces Newtown & Chilwell this weekend, the two sides will be playing for a whole lot more than just four points. Zoe Kennedy suffered an asthma attack and died in 2020 at 15 years old. She played netball for the Eagles, while her father Lach played football for Bell Park.

The two clubs are playing in the Zoe Kennedy Tribute Match, a now-annual event commemorating the life of Zoe Kennedy, an Eagles netballer who died from an asthma attack in 2020 at just 15 years old.

Zoe’s father Lach said the tribute match, which raised funds for the Zoe Kennedy Foundation, was keeping her memory alive.

“It’s pretty humbling the way I look at it,” he said.

“It keeps her legacy alive, it keeps her alive, and she’d be looking down being pretty proud that the community is jumping on board and really enjoying how everyone is embracing the foundation.

“If she can save someone’s life then that’s what she’d want.” - Lach Kennedy

The 2022 iteration of the tribute match raised more than $20,000 for the foundation, with more than 1000 spectators packing out Bell Park’s football and netball sidelines.

Alongside a golf day dubbed the Zoe Kennedy Memorial Day, the foundation has raised more than $110,000 for asthma research, treatment and care in children and teenagers.

Lach said the tribute match between his old football side and Zoe’s old netball club made sense for a fundraiser.

“I’m a tragic Bell Park player, I played almost 10 years there, and Zoe played at Newtown & Chilwell because all her friends from school played there,” he said.

“Whenever she started at seven years old, we’d joke about getting her across to Bell Park.

“We called it the Kennedy Cup whenever the two clubs played, so I thought of the idea from there and when I thought of ideas to raise money and awareness for the foundation, we thought of doing a community day and that’s what she’d love, she’s from Geelong and it’s spawned from that.” - Lach Kennedy

In addition to the events, the foundation is also selling beanies and scarfs in purple, both the colour for Asthma Australia as well as Zoe’s favourite colour.

“It’s winter and it’s a footy game, everyone loves a beanie and a scarf,” Lach said.

“It’s another way to raise money and awareness and lucky Zoe’s favourite colour is purple and the colour for Asthma Australia is purple.”