Call it a superstar game of one-on-one -- only it will be on a local football field.

On Friday, Ambridge's Moe Rubenstein Stadium will be the site of a taping of "Shaq Vs.," a new reality show which will premiere on ABC at 9 p.m. Aug. 18. It features Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal stepping out of his comfort zone of basketball and challenging other high-profile athletes in competitions in their sports.

In the taping at Ambridge, O'Neal, 37, will challenge Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, 27, in football.

Friday's gameis free and open to the public, with attendance limited to about 7,500 fans. The gates will open at 5 p.m., and taping is scheduled to start about 6 p.m. No cameras or cell phones will be allowed.

This particular competition will work off a 7-on-7 football premise -- a skeleton passing formation with receivers and backs -- with Roethlisberger quarterbacking one team and O'Neal quarterbacking another.

A handicapping system will be worked out between Roethlisberger, the owner of two Super Bowl rings, and O'Neal, the center on four NBA championship teams, to make the competition more balanced.

"Part of the fun of the show will be seeing what Ben and Shaq decide on what is a fair challenge," said Will Staeger, senior vice president of dick clark productions and one of the producers of the show. "The overall format will be much like a heavyweight bout. You will see the lead-up, some verbal banter back and forth, and then the competition. It is a whole experience and interaction between the athletes leading up to the event, not just the event, that will have people interested."

Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said the organization had no comment on Roethlisberger's participation in the show. Show organizers would not comment on how much Roethlisberger or O'Neal will be paid for taking part in the production.

So what about the injury concerns for Roethlisberger? After all, the 2009 season is just around the corner.

Modi Wiczyk, co-chairman and co-CEO of the studio firm handling the show, Media Rights Capital, said there is nothing to be worried about.

"Believe me, he will be avoiding injury at all costs," Wiczyk said. "We can still have a great athletic competition without the risk of injury."

In addition to Roethlisberger, over the course of the series at tapings elsewhere, O'Neal will challenge Olympic champion Michael Phelps in swimming, Wimbledon champion Serena Williams in tennis, Oscar de la Hoya in boxing; St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman Albert Pujols in baseball, and two-time Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor in beach volleyball.

To Wiczyk, all those athletes agreeing to participate in the show further bolsters his claim that Roethlisberger's risk of being injured while taping this show is infinitesimal.

"All the athletes we have are a champion, and just about all of them are in their prime and are champions, right now," Wiczyk said. "So that should put people at ease that we are going to take every precaution necessary to ensure no one gets injured."

Roethlisberger could not be reached for comment and his agent did not respond to a request for comment.

Because PIAA rules prohibit high school teams from being involved in out-of-season activity in full uniform, the Pittsburgh Colts, a semi-professional team that plays home games at Ambridge, will provide the football players for the competition.

While Ambridge is not permitted to charge an admittance fee, the school will be allowed to open its concession stands and also is receiving an undisclosed rental fee for the stadium from the production company.

On top of that, Ambridge will have representatives accepting donations at the event for their football booster association -- the Ambridge Quarterback Club -- and also for a fund that will go to purchase PIAA championship rings for the girls' volleyball team, which won the title last year.

So why was Ambridge picked as the venue?

"I was just approached by a production company in Los Angeles about a week and a half ago and I was told it was because we have a new stadium that they felt would be a great place for this specific taping," said Randy Cosgrove, Ambridge's athletic director who is also the public address announcer for Steelers games at Heinz Field. "They asked me if we would be interested and, there was a very small window in which we needed to answer. I said 'yes' immediately because I knew this was a great opportunity and there are 135 other schools in this area that would probably love to have Shaquille O'Neal and Ben Roethlisberger competing at one of their venues. I am sure my position as the public address announcer didn't hurt, but in all honesty, it came down to our facility much more than anything else."

Cosgrove spent part of yesterday in production meetings and said it has been a whirlwind of work.

"But, you know, this is something that comes around just once," he said. "All the work is worth it. When they ask you to do something like this, you have to, because it brings such a positive light and national scope to Ambridge."