As always, the anticipation for the season is high, and we don't have to wait long with a standalone clash between Castlemaine and Maryborough on Good Friday, kickstarting the campaign before the rest of round one is completed on April 13.

Castlemaine has been the talk of the BFNL community this off-season after a strong recruiting campaign under new coach Michael Hartley.

That sense of anticipation for an improved Magpies is felt by BFNL chair Carol McKinstry, who labelled them as her team to watch.

"It's come along very quickly, and all our clubs plus the league can't wait for the forthcoming season," McKinstry said.

"Castlemaine has BFNL punters talking about what they will bring in terms of senior footy.

"They have brought in a great crop of players this off-season, and I think we can expect some real improvement from them.

"Another big plus is having a bunch of AFL and VFL talent enter the league led by Fergus Greene."

It hasn't been a smooth summer for the BFNL, with Kyneton's departure making it a nine-team competition.

The recent announcement that Maryborough would fail to register an A-grade netball team in 2024 also put a slight dampener on the leadup to the season.

However, McKinstry said the league is working hard to rectify these issues.

"We've been in similar scenarios before when a club hasn't entered a senior netball side, but we worked with them, and they bounced back, which I'm confident will be the case with Maryborough in 2025," she said.

"In regards to a return of a ten-team competition, that is still front and centre of our plans because we think that is the perfect number for our league.

"Unfortunately, the decision to bring Maiden Gully YCW into our under-18 competition was taken out of our hands, but we'll continue working towards our end goals."