Mills died last year at the age of 78, and the first game for the Grace Mills Memorial Trophy between Zingari-Richmond and Alhambra-Union will be played at Montecillo.
She was one of three great female stalwarts of Dunedin club rugby, with Jackie Frood (Alhambra-Union) and the late Betty Olsen (Harbour), who were always at club games supporting their teams.
Mills backed husband Alan Mills when he coached the Zingari premier team for years. He was president of the Otago Rugby Football Union when he died suddenly in 1985.
Mills continued her support for the Zingari club for the next 28 years.
New Zingari-Richmond coach Andrew Melville appreciated the support Mills gave to him when he played for the Colours.
He remembered her call from the sidelines.
''One of Grace's favourite calls was to go low,'' Melville said.
''You could always hear her voice no matter where you were on the pitch.
''She knew all the boys. When you came back into the clubhouse she knew all about you and what you had been up to in your life. She had a genuine interest in everybody who was part of the team and part of the club.''
It will be a special game for the Zingari team.
''There are a lot of young players in our team who met her over the last three years,'' he said.
''They had a lot of time for Gracie and enjoyed talking to her at the club.''
This is Melville's first year coaching Zingari after returning from Ireland, where he was coach of the Carlow club for five years.
Zingari had three wins in the first round, one more than the club had all of last season.
''I've got to be happy with that but we had opportunities to win other games,'' Melville said.
''We just have to keep focusing on that to get a few more wins this round.''
Zingari lost the first-round game against Alhambra-Union by just three points, 37-34.
''We have a young team and haven't been in a lot of those situations before and don't understand how to finish games when we are in a winning situation.
''We don't know when it is on to move something and when it is not just to go up the guts.''
Melville found premier rugby different after returning home after 16 years in Ireland.
''When I left there were a lot of older players and most of the provincial players in teams,'' he said.
''That has changed now because of the modern rugby. Most teams are young and don't have the experienced players.''
In the past decade Zingari has played Alhambra-Union 16 times and has only won two games and lost 14. In 2009, Zingari won 14-13 and in 2012 it won 20-19.
''If we play to our best we have a good chance. But it will take an 80-minute game to beat them. Alhambra-Union is a very good side, especially with Peter Breen directing them around the field.''
Premier club rugby will start at 2pm next Saturday because the Super rugby match between the Highlanders and Crusaders starts at Forsyth Barr Stadium at 5.35pm. Early games will start at 12.30pm.
