WATCH LIVE: Phillip Hughes' funeral

Join Michael Slater, Ken Sutcliffe and Tim Gilbert for live coverage of the Phillip Hughes funeral from his hometown of Macksville in northern New South Wales.

Simply click on the play button, above, to watch Nine's coverage from 1.30pm AEDT.

The young cricketer will be farewelled at a funeral to be attended by thousands of people, including Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Australia's entire Test squad will be in attendance, along with former captains Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, as well as fellow great Shane Warne.

Current Aussie skipper Michael Clarke will address mourners during the service and has also been asked to be one of the pallbearers who will carry out Hughes' coffin.

"Today is going to be a really tough day for the family, there is no doubt about that," Hughes' manager James Henderson told the Today Show, this morning.

"The cricket community ... will put their arms around the family and help them through."

Mr Henderson said Hughes was a "no fuss sort of guy".

However, the level of public warmth toward him said a lot about the person he was.

"For the family and the extended family and the community here in Macksville and the cricket community who did know him, he was a special, special person," Mr Henderson said.

Organisers had kept about 80 per cent of the seats at the funeral open for Macksville residents.

The small town is expected to shut down for the service starting at 2pm at the Macksville Recreation Centre, which is expected to cram in 700 people.

Thousands are expected to pay tribute to the 25-year-old batsman by watching the funeral from overflow areas at a nearby sports field.

Hughes died last week, aged 25, after being hit in the head by a bouncer in a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney.

While the focus will be on Macksville, the funeral will be broadcast to the public at the SCG, Melbourne's Federation Square, the Gabba and Brisbane's Southbank, the WACA, the Adelaide Oval and Bellerive Oval and on national television networks.

"There is not one Australian today who can't join the family here in Macksville," Mr Henderson said.