VICTORIAN fans will be treated to a footy festival in March, with 12 matches scheduled across 10 days for the opening round of the AFL season and round 10 of the AFLW competition.
After two years of limited crowds and footy on the road, all 10 Victorian AFL teams will play in Melbourne across five days to launch the season, starting on Wednesday March 16.
It is the first time since round 20, 2016, that all 10 have played in the state during the same round.
With seven AFLW matches scheduled in Victoria during the 10-day period, there will be football played at nine different venues in the state, including Victoria Park, Arden Street, Casey Fields, RSEA Park, the Swinburne Centre, and Ballarat’s Mars Stadium.
There will be four matches hosted at the MCG, including the blockbuster Grand Final rematch between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs to open the AFL season.
ROUND ONE FIXTURE Footy Festival comes to Victoria in March 2022
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said the 10-day period was a significant step in bouncing back from a challenging 2021.
“We want to get big crowds back to the footy, the weekly ritual of being able to go to a game and the sense of community it creates, connecting families and friends is something we have missed in the state,” McLachlan said.
“We look forward to seeing fans return to our venues in huge numbers as well as to all the surrounding business and venues that rely on footy and big events being staged across the city.”
