The Western Bulldogs will face Essendon in the opening round of the 2022 rebel VFLW season next weekend.
It comes after the AFL released match-ups for the 14-round home-and-away fixture, with the Bulldogs to play Essendon, Carlton, Southern Saints twice.
The Grand Final has been slated for the weekend of 2/3 June.
Given the weekly changes to the AFLW fixture caused by COVID-19, and with the VFLW and AFLW competitions closely linked through the competing clubs, times and venues for round one onwards will be confirmed once the weekly AFLW fixture is locked in.
Two competition byes have also been built into the fixture - after round five (19/20 March) and after round eight (16/17 April). There will also be a pre-finals bye on 4/5 June.
AFL State League Competitions Manager, Jennie Loughnan, said the VFLW is an important part of the pathway from junior football to AFLW.
“After a huge amount of planning and preparation, all clubs are ready for a big year,” Loughnan said.
“The past two years have been very difficult for many with so much disruption, but the resilience and determination we’ve seen from clubs, players, umpires, partners and all stakeholders involved in the rebel VFLW competition shows how much it means to people. There is a lot of excitement about the year ahead.
“The competition is an important part of the pathway system, with many players progressing from the NAB League and aspiring to reach the elite AFLW level.
“Having VFLW clubs aligned to AFLW programs ensures a strong connection to the elite level.”
The VFLW Bulldogs will be led by coach Kirby Bentley in 2022, with a player leadership group to be finalised in the coming days.
2022 rebel VFLW fixture: Bulldogs’ match-ups
Round 1 v Essendon (Feb 12/13)
Round 2 v Williamstown (Feb 19/20)
Round 3 v Southern Saints (Feb 26/27)
Round 4 v Casey (Mar 5/6)
Round 5 v Hawthorn (Mar 12/13)
Round 6 v Darebin (Mar 26/27)
Round 7 v Geelong (Apr 2/3)
Round 8 v Port Melbourne (Apr 9/10)
Round 9 v Carlton (Apr 23/24)
Round 10 v Essendon (Apr 30/May 1)
Round 11 v Southern Saints (May 7/8)
Round 12 v Collingwood (May 14/15)
Round 13 v North Melbourne (May 21/22)
Round 14 v Carlton (May 28/29)
