The AFL has announced the season dates for the 2023 rebel Victorian Football League Women’s (VFLW) season.
The 2023 rebel VFLW season will commence on the weekend of March 25-26, aligning with the opening round of the 2023 Smithy’s VFL season and Round 2 of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
The start date for the 2023 rebel VFLW season has moved to late March following the change to AFLW season dates since the completion of this year’s VFLW campaign. The 2022 rebel VFLW season commenced in February.
The 2023 rebel VFLW home and away season will consist of 14 rounds, with a competition bye scheduled for the King’s Birthday weekend.
The AFL can confirm 12 teams will compete in the 2023 rebel VFLW season.
As announced in October last year, Hawthorn has transferred its VFLW licence to the Box Hill Hawks. The two clubs will remain aligned, with the team to compete under the Box Hill Hawks banner.
The composition of clubs for the 2023 rebel VFLW season will be:
VFLW standalone clubs: Darebin Falcons, Williamstown
AFLW aligned clubs: Box Hill Hawks (Hawthorn), Casey Demons (Melbourne), Port Melbourne (Richmond), Southern Saints (St Kilda)
AFLW standalone clubs: Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong Cats, North Melbourne, Western Bulldogs
The top-six teams on the ladder at the conclusion of the home and away season will qualify for the 2023 rebel VFLW Finals Series.
The finals format will remain unchanged from 2022, with the finals series to be played across four weeks, commencing the weekend of July 8-9.
The 2023 rebel VFLW Grand Final is scheduled to be played on Sunday, July 30.
As the state’s premier women’s football league, the rebel VFLW competition has showcased Victoria’s best football talent since its inception in 2016.
A host of AFLW stars have progressed through the competition, including 15 players who were selected from VFLW teams in the 2022 NAB AFLW Draft.
With the season dates confirmed, work will now commence on the 2023 rebel VFLW season fixture, which will be published as soon as finalised.
