A REMARKABLE five levels of SANFL will kick off next season with the release of the Senior, Reserves, Under 18s, Under 16s and newly formed Under 14s competition. The majority of the leagues will kick off in late March, between two to three weeks after the SANFL Women’s has its first bounce, while the Under 14s will be a showcase for fans from February 23.

The newly formed Under 14s begins on Friday, February 23 with Norwood hosting West Adelaide in what will be the first match of a 28-game season – seven rounds – running until April 13. The competition is ultimately to provide additional numbers for the Under 16s competition later in the season, and also give the eight SANFLW clubs a greater understanding of the talent coming through competing against each other.

The Under 16s and Under 18s competition run full fixtures with 17 and 18 rounds respectively, going from March 23 until August 17, with the three-week finals series then running until September 15. As expected, the open age seasons are the longest, with 10 teams competing across 19 rounds from March 28 until August 24-25. With a four-week finals series, the SANFL Grand Final will take place at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, September 22.

A key difference with the underage fixturing this year is allowing as many as five byes for the Under 18s and six byes for the Under 16s to ensure players can also compete in college football, while representing their SANFL clubs during the minor rounds. There will also be a full round of mid-week evening matches, taking place on May 21-22.

SANFL action kicks off over the Easter weekend, with Norwood and Sturt clashing in the season opener. North Adelaide faces Central District at Prospect Oval on Good Friday as part of a four-game fixture that day. South Adelaide hosts Adelaide, Woodville-West Torrens meets West Adelaide and Glenelg take on Port Adelaide at The Bay.

The league will have a bye a round later to allow for AFL Gather Round, while the West End State Team takes on the Victorian Football League. In May, the SANFL will once again lock horns with the WAFL, two weeks after the respective women’s leagues have the same clash.

Glenelg and Sturt’s grand final rematch will take place on Anzac Day – Thursday April 25, with the teams clashing at Stratarama Stadium. It will be a standalone game with the remaining four matches played on Saturday, April 27.

>> FULL SANFL & RESERVES FIXTURES

>> FULL UNDER 18s, UNDER 16s and UNDER 14s FIXTURES