2023 SANFL APY League set to start

By ALICE MOULTON

The nation’s most remote football competition – the SANFL APY League – returns to action this weekend for season 2023.

The return of competitive sport in the region is sure to generate excitement for communities in the Far North West corner of the state and encourages participation in football and softball over the upcoming winter months.

Spanning almost 200,000 square kilometres across remote South Australia and Northern Territory, the APY League kicks off on Saturday May 6 with five games scheduled to be played over two days in the Southern Northern Territory community of Finke.

Finke, in only its second season in the 10-team competition, was awarded the privilege of hosting all five matches in the opening round at a board meeting on the APY Lands last month. It will be the first home game for the ‘Finke Crows’ following a season of away games in 2022.

Bye rounds have been scheduled for the weekend of Saturday June 10 to coincide with the Finke Desert Race and also the weekend of Saturday July 7 to coincide with the SA Country Football Championships in the Barossa Valley.

The best two teams in the top six will then clash in the SANFL APY League Grand Final on Saturday September 16.

”The SANFL APY League is one of the most exciting competitions in the country, offering a much-needed social outlet for communities while providing unmatched entertainment for spectators who travel hundreds of kilometres to be in attendance,” said SANFL Head of Country Football Shawn Ford.

SANFL has managed the Federally-funded APY League for the past 15 years, with over 400 players donning a guernsey each season.

The League also includes a female softball competition, with approximately 250 participants represented across 10 teams.