All things VFL

[Bornadog]

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The AFL has announce the 2021 VFL season is set to begin on Saturday 17 April, with teams from Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales to take part.


The home and away season will feature 22 clubs from those three states and will consist of a 16-game season across 19 rounds.


A top eight finals structure will commence on Saturday 28 August, with the VFL Grand Final to be held on the weekend of September 18-19.


All clubs will have three allocated byes to provide an added level of flexibility to adjust where required.


The VFL competition will integrate into a streamlined calendar for men’s football along with the 2021 NAB League Boys competition, with both seasons running concurrently with the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.


The 2021 fixture is set to be released at the end of February, given the connection to the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.


Club practice matches will commence in March.




Clubs


Standalone Clubs: Aspley, Coburg, Frankston, Northern Bullants, Port Melbourne, Southport, Werribee, Williamstown


Standalone AFL Clubs: Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Footscray, Geelong Cats, Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants, North Melbourne, Richmond, Sydney Swans


Aligned Clubs: Sandringham (St Kilda), Box Hill Hawks (Hawthorn), Casey Demons (Melbourne)

[Axe Man]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

Why start so late? The AFL will be up to round 5 before the VFL starts. Going to have to rely on practice match form for the players not initially picked in the 22.

[Eastdog]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

Why start so late? The AFL will be up to round 5 before the VFL starts. Going to have to rely on practice match form for the players not initially picked in the 22.

Yeah that is a good point. You want both the AFL and VFL season very closely aligned as much as you can.

[Bornadog]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

Not sure why it is still called the VFL. So many teams from other states?

[Axe Man]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

not sure why it is still called the vfl. So many teams from other states?

Because the VQNSWACTFL sounds ridiculous?

[Bornadog]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

Because the VQNSWACTFL sounds ridiculous?

What would the logo be?

[FrediKanoute]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

What about the East Australia Football League - EAFL

[Eastdog]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

What about the East Australia Football League - EAFL

Yep as all the teams are from eastern Australia.

[Hotdog60]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

The AFL should stop dicking around and reinstate the reserve competition and have it curtain raise before the seniors.

Reducing the list was rubbish and it should have gone the other way to support two full teams and will injuries covered from the VFL and other state leagues.

[Axe Man]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

What about the East Australia Football League - EAFL

I prefer the Eastern Australian Definitely Awesome Football League, or EADAFL.

[mjp]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

Interesting that of the stand-alone clubs there are 3 from the west, 2 from the north and one from the South East of Melbourne...but NONE from the East (where most people live, most of the NAB clubs are) and NONE regional.

Seems short-sighted and pretty foolish...all those kids either travel to Port Melbourne I guess or fight it out with the listed players at Sandy/Casey/Box Hill.

I don't get it.

[Axe Man]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

Interesting that of the stand-alone clubs there are 3 from the west, 2 from the north and one from the South East of Melbourne...but NONE from the East (where most people live, most of the NAB clubs are) and NONE regional.

Seems short-sighted and pretty foolish...all those kids either travel to Port Melbourne I guess or fight it out with the listed players at Sandy/Casey/Box Hill.

I don't get it.

As far as the clubs in the East go I think it is just natural evolution. Most of the old VFA clubs from the East folded or dropped down leagues decades ago. They tried a team in Traralgon in the 90s and it lasted all of 2 years.

The most common place for the overlooked Gippsland Power boys to end up in the VFL unsurprisingly tends to be Casey, being the closest.

[josie]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

"The home and away season will feature 22 clubs from those three states and will consist of a 16-game season across 19 rounds."

So teams will miss playing 5 other teams in H&A, then may face a team they've not played at all in a final. Why not start earlier to give opportunity for players to put their hand up for senior selection early & so all teams play each other once in H&A?

[Eastdog]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

Keen to get to a few VFL games this year at the Whitten Oval. Will depend on how Covid goes of course in terms of going but the vaccine should help a lot.

[dog town]

Re: 2021 VFL start date confirmed

Sounds like the intention is to live stream all games which will be great.