LAST year’s QAFL Women’s grand finalists will open up a brand new season on April 15 with the full official fixture released last week. Reigning premiers University of Queensland will host the team they beat in the decider, Southport, in front of home fans at Brighton Homes Arena. The Red Lionesses will have the chance to hoist the flag in the clash, as part of a 14-match, 16-round regular season that will run until July 29.

The back-to-back premiers needed extra time to get the job done at Leyshon Park over Southport, but will be hoping for a more comfortable win against the Sharks who shocked everyone in the League in their inaugural season at the top flight. Southport, who won the Division 1 flag the year before, came agonisingly close to showing it could easily compete with the best in the state, and will be keen to go one better in 2023.

In Round 1, the Red Lionesses and Sharks match on Saturday, April 15, will be one of four, with all bar one round featuring a traditional Saturday of action. The other matches in Round 1 are Coorparoo up against Aspley at Giffin Park, Yeronga South Brisbane taking on Wilston Grange at Leyshon Park, and Bond University hosting Maroochydore at home in a north against south battle.

The following week on April 22, Maroochydore will get a crack at University of Queensland back up on the Sunshine Coast, with Aspley returning home to play Yeronga South Brisbane, and Wilston Grange being the only travelling team to head south, when they go to Fankhauser Reserve to tackle the Sharks. The standalone non-Saturday match is an Anzac Day fixture between Bond University on Coorparoo on Tuesday, April 25.

That means both the Bull Sharks and Kings will have a four-day turnaround rather than the traditional seven, with both sides travelling the following weekend to Wilston Grange and University of Queensland respectively. The season fixture features 16 rounds, but also includes competition byes in Round 7 and Round 12, with the latter coinciding with the QAFL Women’s taking on the best of Tasmania in a State Representative clash.

Themed rounds for 2023 include the Sir Doug Nicholls Round in Round 6, where culture and country will proudly be on display on Saturday, May 20. Closer to the finals series in Round 14, the QAFL Women’s will also host a football bonanza for Pride Round, with all four matches in Round 14 played at the same venue (to be determined) on Saturday, July 15.

In 2023, there will be a pre-finals bye on Saturday August 5 to give the four finalists a chance to rest ahead of the post-season series. Semi-finals between first and second, and the all-or-nothing third and four will go ahead on August 12, with the preliminary final on August 19, and grand final on August 27.

ROUND 1 FIXTURE:

Coorparoo vs. Aspley @ Giffin Park
Yeronga South Brisbane vs. Wilston Grange @ Leyshon Park
University of Queensland vs. Southport @ Brighton Homes Arena
Bond University vs. Maroochydore @ Bond Uni Oval

The full fixture can be found here via the AFL Queensland website.