AFL Central Victoria has announced football teams from the HDFNL and Loddon Valley League could join the Bendigo Junior Football League’s newly created under-18 competition if they wish to play.
Meanwhile a Thursday night competition has been created for under-17, under-15 and under-13 netball teams from the two leagues and the North Central League.
The football competition is aiming to start on the weekend of July 18, with eight rounds of home-and-away matches.
A two-week finals series involving all teams would then follow.
The netball competition is hoping to get play under way on July 16.
AFLCV region manager Carol Cathcart said she was hopeful of having all three leagues represented.
If Leitchville-Gunbower and LBU footballers do elect to play, it would allow them to play an extra year of junior football.
North Central’s junior competition only goes up to under-16s.
“We have said to North Central that if they want to pull in some under-18 players from their reserves then we'd be more than happy for them to enter a team,” Cathcart said on Thursday.
“In saying that, North Central is also considering if their clubs would be interested in being part of something up their way, given travel is a bit of a factor.”
Cathcart said venues for the netball competition would be determined by those with high quality lighting.
“Marong has competition lights, there are courts on McIvor Rd near the All Seasons in Strathdale that has competition lights as well, and we're also investigating Marist College.”
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