The fixture for the 2023 AFL Women’s season has been released, with the Giants set to open their season in September with a series of blockbusters.
The Giants will open their season with the highly anticipated Sydney Derby against the Swans. Just the second edition of the rivalry in the women’s game, the match will be played at North Sydney Oval on Sunday, September 3 and will be a Swans home game.
The first round of AFLW action coincides with the AFL pre-finals bye, providing the perfect opportunity for all Sydney footy fans to show their support for the Battle of the Bridge.
Across the opening four weeks, the Giants will play in Sydney twice and Canberra twice to set up a giant season eight.
The Giants’ fixture features two matches at Manuka Oval, as well as a return to the west with two games fixtured at Blacktown International Sportspark and one at Henson Park to round out the Giants’ five home games.
The Giants will host the reigning premiers, the Melbourne Demons, in round two in a Sunday twilight fixture at Manuka Oval on September 10.
Returning to the Giants’ inaugural home ground in round three, the GIANTS will host the Tigers on Saturday, September 16 at Blacktown International SportsPark.
In back-to-back-to-back home games, the Giants will return to the nation’s capital for a clash with the Crows on Saturday, September 23.
The Giants will be back at Blacktown International SportsPark in round six welcoming the West Coast Eagles on Saturday, October 7.
We’ll then round out our regular-season home fixture, hosting Carlton in round eight at Henson Park, in Sydney’s inner west.
Travelling interstate for the first time in round five, the Giants will head to Melbourne to take on the Kangaroos at Arden Street.
Other away fixtures include St Kilda (round seven), Gold Coast (round nine) and Port Adelaide (round 10).
Following a 10-round season, the top eight will face off in a finals series beginning on the weekend of November 11 with the AFLW Grand Final to be held on the first weekend in December.
Giants Chief Executive Officer David Matthews said the 2023 fixture has something to offer all GIANTS fans.
“We’re really pleased with where we’ve landed with the fixture for the upcoming season,” Matthews said.
“The AFLW fixture comes with a number of complexities, particularly in NSW and the ACT with ground availability across the summer months, but this gives us an opportunity to play in front of our fans in numerous locations.
“Kicking off the season with a Sydney Derby is a fantastic way to be able to build the momentum of the game in Sydney, delivering football in the state from March through to November at least.
“Two games in Canberra and two back at Blacktown is the perfect opportunity to reward our long-standing fans, with those two venues having been home venues for our AFLW since we entered the competition back in 2017.
“Henson Park as a home venue is a representation of the growth and expansion of the game in Sydney, with game days in the city’s inner west the perfect weekend activity for both new and existing GIANTS fans.
“2023 feels like it’s building to be a really exciting time for this program. We saw the team start to hit their strides at the back end of an injury-riddled season seven and they’ve been back in at the club working hard, ready to pick up where they left off.”
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