By Luke Voogt
Football will kick off across Geelong and the Bellarine in the first three weeks of April, with staggered grand finals to showcase the different leagues.
Bellarine Football Netball League (BFNL) will commence on April 3, 2021, while Geelong Football Netball League (GFNL) will start on April 17, AFL Barwon announced on Monday.
The dates apply for senior football, senior netball and reserves competitions.
The announcement follows the cancellation of the region’s football and netball leagues in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Last month Geelong & District Football League (GDFL) announced its senior competitions would commence on April 10.
Colac and District Football Netball League (CDFNL) will begin with a standalone game on April 3, with its opening round to continue from April 10.
The staggered fixtures mean the BFNL and GFNL will avoid a grand final clash with the GDFL.
Finals will begin on August 14, 21 and 28 for the BFNL, CDFNL and GFNL respectively.
Grand finals will take place on September 4 for the BFNL and September 18 for the GFNL, while the CDFNL and GDFL will share September 11 for their big games.
All AFL Barwon female football and junior male football will begin on April 17.
The TAC Road Safety Round will commence on July 17, while the Pride Cup will take place between Newtown & Chilwell and Leopold on April 18.
“All dates … are subject to change,” AFL Barwon said in a statement on Monday.
“After a cancelled senior season and interrupted junior season in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, we cannot wait to see our member clubs back out on the field and court safely in 2021.”
Full fixtures are available at aflbarwon.com.au
