THE AFL has today announced the fixture for Round Three and Round Four of the 2021 VFL Competition.
North Melbourne will face Casey Demons under lights at Marvel Stadium to kick-off Round Three on Thursday April 29. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Footy from 7.10pm.
Footy will return to Downer Oval, Williamstown for the first time in 2021 when Williamstown host Port Melbourne on Saturday night. Traditional rivals Essendon and Carlton will face off at Windy Hill on Sunday May 2 as the VFL’s match of the day live and free on Seven with fans also able to live-stream it via Seven’s market-leading BVOD platform, 7Plus.
Round Four will feature Geelong and Northern Bullants on Thursday night football on Fox Footy from 7.10pm on Thursday May 6 at Marvel Stadium. Six of the seven games in Round Four will be broadcast live across Fox Footy, Seven and Kayo.
AFL Head of Talent Pathways and State League Competitions Tristan Salter said the league was pleased to confirm the next block of games as the season continues to build after an exciting first round of football.
“Round One was a fantastic start to the 2021 VFL season with record attendances across the majority of games supported by strong broadcast numbers highlighting the appetite for VFL football across the legion of supporters,” Salter said.
“The new era of the VFL produced the highest standard of state league football in Australia across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland with AFL Clubs, AFL Aligned Clubs and VFL Standalone Clubs all winning matches.”
“We have and will continue to remain adaptable as we work closely with each stakeholder to ensure we achieve the best possible outcome for everyone in the game in fixturing games,” Salter said.
This year’s fixture closely aligns with AFL programs given the VFL involvement of AFL-listed players from 14 AFL clubs and the shared resources across all 14 AFL clubs. The release of rounds Three and Four aligns with the current release of the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season fixture and is central to the fixturing of the season.
The confirmation of dates and times of the 2021 VFL fixture in smaller blocks will continue for the short term, as the VFL continues to balance the alignment with the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season fixture.
The AFL wishes to advise tomorrow night's game between GWS GIANTS and Footscray will start at 7.15pm not 7.10pm as previously advertised and will be broadcast on Fox Footy.
Round Three
Thursday April 29
North Melbourne vs. Casey Demons 7.10pm Marvel Stadium Fox Footy
Friday April 30
Collingwood vs. Gold Coast Suns 4.00pm Holden Centre
Saturday May 1
Northern Bullants vs. Footscray 1.05pm Preston City Oval Kayo Freebies
Werribee vs. Richmond 2.05pm Avalon Airport Oval 7Plus
Sydney Swans vs. Geelong 2.35pm Tramway Oval (Lakeside Oval) Kayo Freebies
Frankston vs. Aspley 7.00pm SkyBus Stadium
Williamstown vs. Port Melbourne 7.10pm Downer Oval
Sunday May 2
Brisbane Lions vs. Coburg 12.00pm South Pine Sporting Complex
GWS Giants vs. Southport 12.05pm Blacktown International Sports Park Kayo Freebies
Essendon vs. Carlton 12.05pm Windy Hill Seven and 7Plus
Sandringham v Box Hill 2.30pm Trevor Barker Oval
Round Four
Thursday May 6
Geelong vs. Northern Bullants 7.10pm Marvel Stadium Fox Footy
Saturday May 8
Collingwood vs. Coburg 12.05pm Victoria Park 7Plus
Williamstown vs. Frankston 1.35pm Downer Oval Kayo Freebies
Southport vs. North Melbourne 2.00pm Fankhauser Reserve
Box Hill Hawks vs. Werribee 2.35pm Box Hill City Oval Kayo Freebies
Sunday May 9
Footscray v Carlton 12.05pm VU Whitten Oval Seven and 7Plus
Casey Demons vs. Sydney Swans 11.05am Casey Fields Kayo Freebies
Byes: Aspley, Brisbane Lions, Essendon, Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants, Port Melbourne, Richmond, Sandringham
Matchups for Rounds Five to 19 has been released with dates, times and venues announced following the release of additional rounds of the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season fixture.
The fixture will deliver fans a blockbuster schedule of matches and allow maximised broadcast of the game with the VFL to enter the homes of more fans across more channels in 2021.
Crowds will be permitted at all matches unless otherwise advised. Fans are encouraged to follow the VFL and club digital channels to obtain ticketing information.
All accredited AFL media will be permitted entrance to cover VFL matches. For additional media accreditation please email will.carter@afl.com.au.
The AFL would like to acknowledge the support of all industry stakeholders throughout this process and their patience in the construction of the fixture. The AFL also thanks the legion of fans and supporters for their patience and acknowledge the later release of the fixture will provide more certainty to clubs, players and supporters.
The AFL will continue to review all arrangements in consultation with clubs, the various State Governments and respective Health Officers to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved in this competition remains the priority.
