Football and drag.

It's not a combination you hear about all that often. But a mix of the two will take center stage Saturday when the Granite City Renegades of the semi-pro Northern States Football League hold the team's inaugural drag show from 7-10 p.m. at the Red Carpet Nightclub in downtown St. Cloud.

The event is a fundraiser for the team and will feature Renegades players — with help from the more veteran drag performers.

Tickets cost $10 in advance and can be purchased online through a link on the team's website (www.renegadesfootball.org). They also will be available for $15 at the door.

"I saw another team do this down in the Twin Cities," Renegades owner and head coach Brett Weaver said. "Their fans loved it and I think their players kind of enjoyed making fools of themselves a little bit. So we thought it was something we could try ourselves."

Of course, Weaver still had to convince his players to go along with the plan. About 14 are expected to be on stage Saturday with many others in the crowd cheering them on.

"I was a little skeptical at first," said Carlos Cain, a running back/linebacker who is beginning his third season with the team. "But some of older veterans who have been with the team since the beginning (2011) convinced me to do it."

Weaver will be among those taking part.

"(Players) told me if they were going to do it, I had to do it too," Weaver said.

But he remained mum on what his costume might entail.

"That's part of our pitch — to see how many people we can get to come to the show and try to recognize who's who up there," Weaver said.

Meanwhile, Cain said he his been preparing for his on-stage debut.

"My girlfriend has been helping me out a bit," Cain said. "I think we have it planned out. I'll be ready to go on Saturday, for sure."

The Renegades have already begun practicing for the 2015 season. The team will play a preseason game against the St. Paul Pioneers at 7 p.m. April 25 at Concordia-St. Paul.

The regular-season opener is scheduled for 2 p.m. May 16 against the defending league champion Fargo Invaders at Clemens Stadium.

Follow Frank Rajkowski on Twitter at @rajko1973.