Fixtures to be completed this week

The VAFA Football Operations Department have confirmed that all remaining fixtures should be complete for publishing by next week. As it stands the U19 Premier fixture is now live at vafa.com.au, with the U19 Section 2 fixture to be published in the next days.

Clubs in Premier Thirds have received a draft of the fixture and once this review has been signed off then this too can be published.

Football Operations Officer and Fixture Administrator, Sam Confait, said the VAFA had allowed as many clubs as possible to confirm they had a team.

“We know that clubs are keen to see fixtures as soon as possible, but we are always keen to ensure as many teams and ultimately players have a competitive game of football” said Confait.

General Manager of Football Operations, Brian Goodman, also confirmed the VAFA had taken extra time to ensure a competitive balance.

“The past month I have been on the phone everyday to the clubs with under age teams to ascertain their numbers, and the strength and depth of their teams” Goodman said.

“The balancing act of having top age and bottom age players in a side an the importance of promoting premiers and good performances at Under 19 level is an important part of the competition.

Confait confirmed that the new fixture software that the VAFA have invested in allowed the Association more control over the fixture creation and meant the VAFA no longer had to depend on gaining access to the AFL’s system.

“If fixtures are all published by next week, which we expect they will, then we will still have completed all the fixtures earlier than we have been able achieve in the past” Confait said.