Excitement builds ahead of historic Christmas night clash

After months of preparation, the Sydney Kings' historic Christmas night fixture with Melbourne United is now just days away.

One of the men behind the first-ever professional sports game to be played on Christmas is Sean Nicholls, who is confident the event will be a huge success.

"This all started the idea, pushed largely by Andrew Bogut with his experience in the NBA, of being a part of something historic and be a part of a great occasion on the Australian sporting calendar," Hoops Capital CEO Sean Nicholls said.

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"After close to 18 months in the works, it's been amazing to see how it's all coming together for this special event, which we are confident can become a fabric of the Australian sports landscape.

"Everyone from the players to the staff and the Sydney hoops community are all really excited to be a part of the night and we can't wait to see how it all plays out."

Nicholls said not only will the success of the event be measured by ticket sales and television ratings (with the fixture being broadcast on Channel 10) but also by how much they can raise for game-day partner The Salvation Army.

"One of the biggest concepts of the day was bringing people together, so contacted The Salvation Army very early on about being involved and helping those who are doing it tough on Christmas and putting a smile on their faces," Nicholls said.

"As well as that, it provides an avenue for The Salvation Army, through their Christmas Appeal, to raise much-needed funds for the less fortunate."

The Salvation Army's Major David Collinson expressed extreme delight about being invited to be part of the Hoops Capital club's historic event at Qudos Bank Arena.

"We're really happy about being involved in this landmark event, allowing us to bring hope to people on Christmas," Collinson said.

"Unfortunately, we know there are so many lonely people out there on this day, so any donations we receive will go towards helping reduce that number in the future - as Christmas is supposed to be a day for the community to come together and spend time with their loved ones."

On the night, The Salvation Army will be running numerous activations at the venue, including selling specially designed Santa hats for $10, having a six-part brass band playing in the foyer and collecting donations - with all proceeds, including a percentage of ticket sales, going to their Christmas Appeal.