MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 25: Dane Swan of the Magpies celebrates a goal during the round six AFL match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Essesdon Bombers at Melbourne Cricket Ground on April 25, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

Several former AFL stars will head to South Australia next month to participate in a charity match, aimed at raising awareness around men's mental health.

The charity match, named the Match for Mental Health, will raise money for mental health organisation Headspace and feature local celebrities in addition to former players.

Dane Swan, Leon Davis, Shane Mumford, Jordan Murdoch and Winis Imbi have all been confirmed as attendees, while local MP Troy Bell will also pull on the boots.

Luke Thompson, who helped organise the event and will coach one of the sides, admitted that the match started as an idea between friends, none of them expecting to attract players beyond their local clubs.

"A couple of my mates, a couple of younger fellas, they probably had a couple around their age in the last 12 to 18 months that have passed away through suicide," Thompson told the ABC.

"So the idea started with those [people]."

"We had it in our heads that it was just going to be a bunch of local boys just having a kick and just raising awareness, and the idea just took off.

"Football clubs and netball clubs are a big part of communities.

"So that's where people rally when good things happen or bad things happen.

"So we just thought it would naturally fit, trying to organise a footy game to raise awareness."

The Match for Mental Health is scheduled for Friday, February 17 at East Gambier Football Club.

Proceeds from the match will be donated to the Mount Gambier chapter of Headspace.