2023 Hostplus SANFL League Fixture Release
By ZAC MILBANK
Blockbuster fixtures in the early rounds are a key feature of an exciting 2023 Hostplus SANFL League fixture released on Tuesday.
With a marquee Round 1 schedule – including Norwood hosting the Eagles under lights in the season opener – kicking off this year’s action, enticing fixtures will ensure the high-quality competition begins with great anticipation.
Four games will be played on Good Friday in Round 2, complemented by a big Easter Thursday night clash between Norwood and Sturt at The Parade.
Three games will kick off at 2.10pm on April 7 before 2019 Grand Finalists Glenelg and Port Adelaide kick off at the Bay from 4.40pm.
Anzac Weekend looms as a footy festival with five games played over four days, including the traditional Grand Final rematch between 2022 Grand Finalists – Norwood and North Adelaide – at The Parade on April 25.
An intriguing Anzac Eve contest at Brighton Road between 2021 Grand Finalists the Eagles and Glenelg is another to mark on the calendar.
“We are very excited about the marquee games, especially in the opening rounds,” SANFL head of football operations Sean Toohey said.
“Given the close nature of last season’s Hostplus SANFL League minor round, it promises to be an intriguing start, while maximizing the potential for sizeable attendances amid the milder weather.”
The SANFL will hit the road in 2023 with four regional games, including the inaugural Neil Kerley Memorial Game, which will be played between West Adelaide and Adelaide in Murray Bridge in Round 16.
The Central District will host Adelaide in the Barossa Valley in Round 12 as part of the SA Country Championships, while Norwood will play the Bloods again in Port Lincoln after its successful venture on the Eyre Peninsula last season.
West Adelaide will host Port Adelaide in Loxton for a return of the Russell Ebert tribute game, which was held in the Riverland for the first time last year.
In an innovative measure, First Nations round will be held over two weekends, Rounds 11 and 12.
This will give each SANFL club the opportunity to host a First Nations themed game to recognize the enormous contribution Indigenous people make to Australian Football in South Australia.
The West End State side will aim to retain the Haydn Bunton Junior Cup on home soil on the weekend of Saturday 20 May, with further details of the Croweaters’ annual clash with the Sandgropers to be confirmed.
A four-week finals series starting on Saturday 3 September will be played at Adelaide Oval, culminating in the 2023 SANFL Hostplus League Grand Final on Sunday 24 September.
Kick-off times and matchdays for Rounds 11 to 18 will be confirmed later in the year once the AFL has finalized its full minor-round fixtures.
At the request of Woodville-West Torrens, no matches have been scheduled at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval over the first four rounds while construction work is being undertaken.
Channel 7 and 7plus will continue to broadcast a Match of the Round every weekend along with a weekly radio broadcast on SEN SA.
The Hostplus SANFL League and Hostplus SANFLW League will once again be shown live and on demand via its popular streaming platform – SANFL Now.
The SANFL is encouraging fans to sign up for a club home match membership in 2023, finding it the most cost-effective way to support their team at the game this season.
SANFL Club Membership can be purchased via the SANFL website here.
