SOUTHEND United's rearranged game against The Saddlers on Tuesday evening will create history as The Shrimpers will be wearing purple shirts instead of their traditional blue, to promote Rotary International's war against polio.

No football club has ever before highlighted this global campaign by wearing purple shirts, which on this day will bear the message 'End Polio Now'.

The shirts will be auctioned after the match with all proceeds going to the 'End Polio Now' fund.

The aim is to fill Roots Hall on this special evening and create awareness and gain maximum media coverage for the worldwide campaign to finally end polio.

For more details see www.southendonsea.rotary1240.org.

Every £1 raised in this campaign will purchase five doses of the special anti-polio vaccine. These children will be protected against polio - forever. The initiative is part of Rotary's national Thanks for Life campaign, that will see hundreds of Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland linking up with schools, businesses, organisations and individuals to hold a range of fund-raising events to raise the £1 million target.

Polio is a crippling, and sometimes fatal, disease and still a very harrowing reality for children in parts of Africa and Asia and threatens children everywhere. It is highly virulent and only an air flight away from the UK.

Bryan Woodford, Rotary Club of Southend-on-Sea President said: "We are so close to stamping out polio and we hope this sporting event will increase awareness of the campaign and encourage more people to get behind the initiative. It is vital that we eradicate it from the four remaining endemic countries or the likelihood is that the disease will spread again to the countries which have been cleared.

"With the public's help we can destroy polio. Rotary has been involved in this fight for 25 years and the world is so close to being free from polio for good thanks to the joint hard work of organisations and governments. How fantastic for a town, individual, business or organisation to join the fight and be able to say, 'I helped to wipe out a disease for only the second time in history, after smallpox. I stopped children from dying - I helped change the world'."

The Rotary Clubs in Great Britain and Ireland have so far raised £10.5 million towards polio eradication.

Saddlers' supporters from the Rotary Club of Bloxwich Phoenix will be attending the game.