By LIAM TWOMEY
THE 2013 VFL season will launch with a blockbuster weekend of Easter football involving last year’s four preliminary finalists.
During a split round one, Werribee will open the season against Port Melbourne on Easter Saturday while Williamstown and Geelong will do battle the following day.
The matches will be the only games played over Easter with the remaining six round one games to be contested the next week.
After the disbanding of the Bendigo and Essendon alignment, this year’s VFL season will be a 14-team competition with each club playing a total of 18 home-and-away matches.
There will also be one official bye and two split rounds during the year.
In a major change for 2013, the traditional VFL logo will also be modernised.
AFL Victoria general manager Grant Williams believes the competition logo update reflects the changing nature of AFL Victoria and the VFL competition.
“The VFL logo has been synonymous with football in Victoria for many years and we are sure the new shield design that still encapsulates the Big V, coupled with the AFL logo, provides a new modern feel for the future,” Williams said.
“This is the first major revamp of our logo since the change from the VFA to VFL.
“It reflects the changing nature of the competition, looking towards 2013 and beyond as we build equity in this brand.”
In one of the most highly anticipated matches of the year, Western Suburbs rivals Werribee and Williamstown will meet in round three.
Other highlights of the fixture include back-to-back night games for Werribee at Avalon Airport Oval in April against the Northern Blues and Collingwood respectively and the Victoria versus Western Australia state game, which will be played at the beginning of May.
Williams is looking forward to an exciting VFL season and thanked major sponsor Peter Jackson for committing to the competition for another three years.
“It is very pleasing to have the continued support of Peter Jackson Menswear, renewing their naming rights partnership with the competition,” he said.
“Over the two years they have partnered the competition the ABC TV viewership has grown – reaching a season high 281,000 ABC TV peak viewership for the 2012 VFL grand final – there are now over 13,000 VFL social media followers on both Facebook and Twitter and we have had 25 VFL players drafted to the AFL.”
The 2013 development league fixture has also been released and can be found on the VFL website, www.vfl.com.au.
