THE countdown until football and netball is well underway with the Hampden Football Netball League (HFNL) launching its 2023 season in Warrnambool ahead of a season which will have many changes.

The return of Interleague was announced at Monday night’s event, with the July 1 clash against Ballarat Football League set to be an Under-23 fixture at Mars Stadium.

League president, Shane Threlfall said the addition of the Under-23 game had been something that had been in the pipeline.

“We sowed the seeds last year with Ballarat and Geelong, but it was probably just a bit too late to get organised, but both have indicated they want to be involved and this year it is us and Ballarat,” he said.

“We think the week off is good for the older players and the younger players would play every week if they could.

“Some of the Under-23s have still got a glimmer of hope to play at a higher standard, so this might be a pathway for that.”

The traditional Interleague slot in May was unable to be used, leading the game to be scheduled during the statewide bye on July 1.

The schedule may change in future, with Threlfall hopeful of shifting it to earlier in the year when grounds aren’t as heavy.

“In an ideal world, personally I’d like to do it pre-season so we are playing on top of the ground, but Ballarat had locked in there draw that weekend (in July) for Interleague, so we were bound by that,” Threlfall said.

“But in the future, who knows.

“We will organise a selection committee, and they will liaise with the coaches.

“There is going to be good players at every club, so I would imagine they will all be represented, but we can’t guarantee it.”

With Ballarat and Geelong signalling intent to be involved, if this year’s game is successful, it may lead to a two-game round robin set up each year between the three leagues.

The other major change for 2023 is the addition of an extra interchange player for senior football games, with reserves and Under-18.5 fixtures to retain the three-player interchange.