CRICKET legend Shane Warne will make his return to football in a curtain-raiser to Saturday's game between St Kilda and Greater Western Sydney.?

Warne, who played under-19s football for the Saints before concentrating on his cricket, will take part in a St Kilda legends match before the main game, playing alongside former Saints stars Aaron Hamill and Andrew Thompson.

It will be the first time Warne has played in a St Kilda jumper since his brief time at the club in the late 1980s. He was a teammate of St Kilda legend Robert Harvey in St Kilda's 1988 under-19s team and was promoted to the reserves team for one game before he was delisted at the end of the season.

Warne's focus then turned to his summer sport, where he became one of Australia's greatest cricketers.

It is understood Warne's close friend, St Kilda assistant coach Hamill, helped convince the 42-year-old to pull the boots on.

Since leaving the club, Warne has remained an ardent St Kilda supporter, even spending time with the club's coaching staff in 2003 during his ban from cricket for taking a banned diuretic.

The game will begin at 11.30am at Etihad Stadium and will also feature a host of former Saints players and a few St Kilda fans.

The game is part of St Kilda's Thank You round, in which the Saints will pay tribute to its supporters with a series of celebrations.

St Kilda's senior team will take to the field wearing a special guernsey featuring the names of 1267 members who each paid $250 for the honour.

Two-hundred members will also be selected to take part in a walk of fame around the ground before the game and will also have the chance to run through a special banner.