Now the O&M and Bendigo Football Netball League are pleased to announce their intention to play representative fixtures in 2026 and 2027.
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 2026 fixture on Saturday, May 23 under a two-year home and away based agreement.
The Bendigo Football Netball League had a successful interleague arrangement with the VAFA in 2024 and 2025 but see this new fixture as an opportunity to align their representative football and netball programs.
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 9 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.
OMFNL Chair, David Sinclair commented that representative football and netball have been a cornerstone of the league's history providing a fantastic opportunity to showcase the depth of high-level talent.
“We are excited at the prospect of taking O&M squads to the Bendigo region for the first time since 1997,” Mr Sinclair said.
“As a league, we see representative fixtures as a critical level of competition for our football and netball participants.
“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.
