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SUMMARY: BFNL to light up in 2016
THE Bendigo Football-Netball League is fixtured for a first next year, with a Monday night game between Castlemaine and Strathfieldsaye scheduled at Camp Reserve.
The 2016 BFNL fixture was released on Friday.
The Magpies and Storm are slated to play on the Monday night of Anzac Day in round two, with the timeslot a first for the BFNL.
The round two game is scheduled to be the first to be played under Castlemaine’s new lighting.
Kyneton and Golden Square also have new lighting on the way in 2016 and have also been fixtured early-season home games at night.
All night games scheduled at Castlemaine, Golden Square and Kyneton are subject to the completion of the installation of lights at the grounds.
The season will begin on Saturday, April 16 with four games – Kyneton v Gisborne; South Bendigo v Eaglehawk; Castlemaine v Maryborough; and Kangaroo Flat v Golden Square at night.
The opening round will be completed on Sunday, April 17, when Strathfieldsaye hosts Sandhurst in the grand final rematch.
The BFNL had previously stated it was open to the prospect of clubs seeking to bring games forward three weeks to be played over Easter, but that won’t be happening due to the uncertainty over ground availability.
At the request of clubs, there has also been a shift away from Sunday football.
Only three Sunday home and away games have been fixtured, and all at the request of clubs, with there to be no Sunday football in the second half of the season.
As well as the grand final rematch in round one, the only other Sunday games will be Castlemaine v Kangaroo Flat in the Indigenous game in round six and Strathfieldsaye playing Kyneton in round nine.
Clubs will get two weeks off during the season.
There will be a general bye on the weekend of May 21 when Bendigo makes the trek to Gippsland for inter-league, while there will also be a general bye on the weekend of July 2.
There will be no split round, while the season will culminate with the grand final on Saturday, September 24, at the QEO.