Great Southern Football League propose changing grand final timeslot to Saturday and looking at night time fixture

This year’s Great Southern Football League grand final appears set to be played on Saturday, and the biggest game of the season could be played under lights. GSFL directors have proposed that the 2020 grand final be played on a Saturday, instead of the traditional Sunday timeslot, and they are also exploring the option of playing the league decider as a night fixture, which would be a first in this competition. The GSFL held a meeting last week with club presidents and has delayed the start of the season, with round one now set to start on July 12. June 28 was initially pencilled in as a starting date, but after consultation with the WA Country Football League and the six GSFL clubs, round one has effectively been pushed back a fortnight. The big progression is all six clubs appear committed to playing the shortened season in the senior grades. In another major change, the finals series is set to include only the top three teams to qualify, instead of the usual top-four system. After 10 regular rounds, a top-three system will be used in the finals, with the team that finishes on top of the ladder progressing straight to the grand final, which they will also host while teams that finish second and third will play off in a preliminary final. Burton said the Saturday grand final had been proposed after decades of playing the biggest game on a Sunday. “We have put forward that proposal, it looks like it will be a Saturday,” Burton said. “That’s what we have discussed and it also might be a night game. “It’s already a different season so we thought ‘why not try something different again?’. “If it works then great, and if it doesn’t, we will go back to Sunday but you never know until you try these things.” The GSFL fixtures have been finalised with a mixture of Saturday and Sunday timeslots, while each team will play five home games. Burton said all six clubs would field league sides, but the make-up of the three minor grades was dependent on numbers. “We are waiting to hear from some clubs about minor grades but they still have a bit of time,” he said. “We are still a month away.” “Everyone is hanging out to play and I think it’s exciting we are getting closer to resuming footy.”