A return to Friday night football and seven consecutive games at Etihad Stadium to kick off the season, are the hallmarks of a positive 2016 fixture for the Western Bulldogs.
After the official release today, the Club came out winners in a fixture that combined strong commercial outcomes, with a balanced football draw, as well as great opportunities for members and fans to see the Western Bulldogs play the big games against the big clubs at home.
CEO David Stevenson welcomed the 2016 fixture and said the Club was rewarded for its exciting brand of football by being fixtured to play twelve night games next season (three Friday, nine Saturday).
2016 FIXTURE: Click here to view the Bulldogs' 2016 home and away season fixture.
“We’re thrilled with the draw for 2016 and we thank the AFL for their support,” Stevenson said.
“To have three Friday night games, and also to play some of the biggest clubs in our home games, it makes for a fantastic season ahead — and was great recognition of the playing group and the coaches on an incredible 2015.”
“Friday nights are important for our Club because it gives us great viewership across the country and we haven’t played a Friday night game since 2012 so we’re really please to play three Friday night games in 2016.”
In exciting opportunities for members and fans to experience big-game atmospheres, the Bulldogs will host Collingwood, Richmond, Geelong, Hawthorn and North Melbourne, all in blockbuster games next season.
“We believe we’ve earned our right to play on those big fixtures and playing against the strong Melbourne clubs and will help us not only to create a great football game for our fans and our members but it also gives us great commercial returns as well,” Stevenson said.
The Bulldogs kick off the season against Fremantle on Easter Sunday, then play St Kilda, Hawthorn, Carlton, Brisbane, North Melbourne and Adelaide consecutively — all at Etihad Stadium.
“It’s a great platform for us to play the first seven games at our fortress as we play really well at Etihad,” Stevenson said.
“We really want to make sure that round 1 game against Fremantle is absolutely a blockbuster atmosphere and we want to create that in the first game.”
Stevenson said that the Club worked hard to ensure it avoided Sunday twilight games in 2016 after fans voiced it as the least desirable slot.
“One of things when we talked to our fans that we heard loud and clear was they wanted less Sunday twilight games, they also wanted to make sure we could play some of the large Melbourne clubs at our home games and we’re really proud to be able to deliver that.”
Stevenson said the Club was thrilled to be given another opportunity to showcase its women’s team in a curtain raiser game against Melbourne next season.
“We’re really proud to be the only Club in the entire AFL to have three teams — AFL, VFL, and a women’s team, so that first game against Melbourne will be a great chance for us to highlight our women’s team, but we’re working now closely with the AFL to make sure we’ve got a second opportunity for us to really showcase the amazing female athletes who play for our women’s team.”
Western Bulldogs' 2016 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Fixture
Round 1
Sunday March 27
Western Bulldogs v Fremantle at Etihad Stadium (1.10pm)
Round 2
Saturday April 2
St Kilda v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium (7.25pm)
Round 3
Sunday April 10
Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium (3.20pm)
Round 4
Saturday April 16
Carlton v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium (7.25pm)
Round 5
Saturday April 23
Western Bulldogs v Brisbane Lions at Etihad Stadium (7.25pm)
Round 6
Friday April 29
North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium (7.50pm)
Round 7
Saturday May 7
Western Bulldogs v Adelaide at Etihad Stadium (7.40pm)
Round 8
Sunday May 15
Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at MCG (3.20pm)
Round 9
Sunday May 22
GWS Giants v Western Bulldogs at Spotless Stadium (3.20pm)
Round 10
Sunday May 29
Collingwood v Western Bulldogs at MCG (3.20pm)
Round 11
Sunday June 5
Western Bulldogs v West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium (3.20pm)
Round 12
Saturday June 11
Port Adelaide v Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval (1.40pm)
Round 13
Saturday June 18
Western Bulldogs v Geelong at Etihad Stadium (7.25pm)
Round 14 - Bye
Round 15
Saturday July 2
Sydney Swans v Western Bulldogs at SCG (4.35pm)
Round 16
Saturday July 9
Western Bulldogs v Richmond at Etihad Stadium (7.25pm)
Round 17
Saturday July 16
Western Bulldogs v Gold Coast Suns at Cazalys Stadium, Cairns (7.25pm)
Round 18
Saturday July 23
Western Bulldogs v St Kilda at Etihad Stadium (7.25pm)
Round 19
Friday July 29
Geelong v Western Bulldogs at Simonds Stadium (7.50pm)
Round 20
Saturday August 6
Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium (7.25pm)
Round 21
Friday August 12
Western Bulldogs v Collingwood at Etihad Stadium (7.50pm)
Round 22
Sunday August 21
Essendon v Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium (4.40pm)
Round 23
Friday August 26 — Sunday August 28
Fremantle v Western Bulldogs at Domain Stadium
