Ovens and Murray Football Netball will not take on their traditional interleague rivals the Goulburn Valley for the next two years, instead facing off against another regional powerhouse The Bendigo Football Netball League in 2026 and 2027.
The O&M have played interleague football and netball against the GV for the past four seasons while Bendigo had a successful interleague arrangement with the VAFA in 2024 and 2025.
This new fixture was as an opportunity to align their representative football and netball programs as well as liven up the competition against a new, formidable foe at one of the country's most renowned and picturesque venues.
This will see matches played across under 18 and senior football grades, with 15 and under, 17 and under and open netball to also feature.
Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo will host the fixture on Saturday, 23 May 2026 under a two-year home and away based agreement.
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This fixture will also mark the first time in 29 years the two leagues have clashed in senior football, with the OMFNL edging out the BFNL by nine points in their round one clash of the former Vic Country Championships in Bendigo.
Re-igniting a special rivalry, both leagues anticipate the fixture will generate enormous interest amongst players and spectators alike, with many eager to witness a rematch almost three decades in the making.
BFNL chair, Professor Carol McKinstry, said the league was thrilled to confirm the new interleague partnership with the OMFNL.
"We cannot wait to host the first edition in 2026 at the QEO while welcoming netball back into the Interleague program,” Ms McKinstry said
“Representative football and netball have been a cornerstone of our league’s history providing a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase the depth of high-level talent within the BFNL while giving our players the chance to test themselves against some of the best regional talent in Victoria.”
OMFNL chair, David Sinclair also commented was equally excited at the prospect of taking O&M squads to the Bendigo region for the first time since 1997.
"As a league, we see representative fixtures as a critical level of competition for our football and netball participants," Mr Sinclair said.
"Particularly given the number of recent examples of the concept providing an additional pathway for those aspiring to play at state/national level, who through circumstance may not have been afforded the opportunity via more traditional talent pathways.”
Further details regarding coaches, playing squads, schedules and ticketing will be released in due course.
