With less than 130 days to go before Round 1, the 2017 Bendigo Bank Senior EFL fixtures have been released.
The 2017 fixture has considered several factors including more than 100 club requests of which 90% have been catered to. On top of this, the fixture also caters to a host of factors surrounding the positioning of a home game within the first two weeks and two in the first four rounds, these are all put in place to make the fixture as fair and equitable as possible.
All four Divisions will commence April 8, with a bye for Divisions 1 and 2 over the weekend of May 13/14 coinciding with the Leagues representative clash against Essendon District FL.
Round 1 will see ALL Senior Premiers from 2016 unfurl their flags at home; Balwyn will host Vermont in a Division 1 Grand Final re-match, Bayswater take on South Croydon in their first Division 1 game since 1995. In Division 2 Upper Ferntree Gully will welcome Mitcham to Kings Park while in Division 3 newcomers Ferntree Gully will host Boronia in the first week.
For the first time EFL football will be played on Good Friday with Division 1 rivals Blackburn and Balwyn to do battle at Morton Park on April 14.
North Ringwood will take part in three Sunday fixtures over the year hosting East Ringwood in Round 1 (April 9) and South Croydon in Round 3 (April 30) before the return game against the Roo’s in Round 13.
Boronia and Scoresby will once again play out a Sunday fixture leading up to ANZAC Day at Tormore Reserve. Coldstream will host Silvan, while South Croydon welcome Blackburn on ANZAC Day Tuesday in 2017.
Donvale will get a taste of football under lights beginning their season with night-time hit outs against Silvan in Round 1 and Fairpark in Round 2.
All Division 1 and 2 sides will again take to the field on Queens Birthday weekend with the annual Noble Park v Balwyn clash the highlight. Division 1 and 2 clubs will break over the Interleague weekend (May 13/14) as well as the July split round.