AFL Capricornia to launch 2025 season with inaugural Festival of Footy

Aussie rules fans are in for a huge treat with the 2025 competitions set to start with a massive bang. Competition manager Jourdan Novak explains what’s in store.

The AFL Capricornia 2025 season will start with six senior fixtures being played at the one venue on the one weekend.

AFL Capricornia will launch the 2025 season with its inaugural Festival of Footy, an exciting take on the national body’s Gather Round.

Six senior fixtures will be played over two days at the Rockhampton Cricket Grounds on April 11 and 12.

There will also be two invitationals - a secondary schoolgirls game and an under-16 boys futures game - and coaching clinics for Auskick and Superkick age children.

AFL Capricornia competition manager Jourdan Novak said the festival had been more than a year in the making.

“We wanted to have a large-scale event that would reach other members of the community who don’t typically come to the footy and try to get more people involved,” he said.

“The response from the clubs has been overwhelmingly positive.

“When we started the planning and conversations around it, it was very much about trying to make it happen, and doing it the right way to get the best outcome.

The champion Yeppoon men’s side will start its 2025 campaign in a grand final rematch against Glenmore at the Festival of Footy.

“Once we nailed down exactly what it would look like, they were really excited and keen to buy-in and make it a success.”

The senior women’s grand final rematch between the Rockhampton Panthers and Yeppoon Swans will headline Friday’s action before the men’s equivalent between Yeppoon and Glenmore will round out Saturday’s program.

The senior teams would be playing for premiership points and the festival games would constitute an extra round, meaning their regular seasons would consist of 16 rounds plus finals.

Novak said he had used the Queensland-first event staged this year by AFLQ Mackay as a template.

“The goal is to have all eyes on the one product at the one time,” he said.

“It also allows us to be strategic and different with our match-ups. Normally, the same two clubs would play all day but this will allow different match-ups in the two grades which hasn’t been done here before.”

The women’s games on the Saturday will see the Gladstone Suns take on Brothers Kangaroos and BITS Saints up against Glenmore Bulls.

In the men, the Suns will face Panthers and BITS will meet Brothers.

Originally published as AFL Capricornia to launch 2025 season with inaugural Festival of Footy