The Peter Jackson VFL will be returning to TV screens in 2012 with AFL Victoria today announcing the continuation of the 25 year relationship with ABC TV.
The Peter Jackson VFL will once again be broadcast each and every Saturday afternoon at 1pm, allowing football fans to get their Saturday afternoon fix of State League football as they have done since 1987.
“The ABC coverage is important for the competition to promote the sport, grow the game, as well as providing critical exposure for the competition, VFL Clubs and our partners,” AFL Victoria General Manager Grant Williams said regarding the announcement.
“The coverage provides a vital link and service to the numerous football followers that are interested in supporting and watching State League level football; seeing the next generation of AFL players progress through the ranks, and local talent rise through the grades.
“The Peter Jackson VFL ABC coverage provides a platform for these players to showcase their talents to a state wide audience.”
The news of ABC TV’s continued coverage of the Peter Jackson VFL comes after impressive ratings figures in the final two weeks of the 2011 Acacia VFL finals. The Peter Jackson VFL Grand Final attracted the biggest ratings figures for the season with an audience high of 185,000 tuning into Port Melbourne’s premiership win over Williamstown – eclipsing the 2010 Grand Final high of 143,000. The game was the number one rating program on Sunday afternoon, following on from the VFL Preliminary Final between Port Melbourne and Northern Bullants, which was also the number one rating program for that timeslot across all networks, reaching an audience high of 96,000 viewers.
“Late last year the VFL public showed their passion for the ABC broadcasts, and we will be working closely with the ABC, VFL clubs and our partners to ensure the quality of coverage that we have seen over many years continues,” Williams said.
The familiar names such as Peter Donegan, Ross Booth, David Rhys Jones, Darren Boyd and Phil Cleary will again join Peter Jackson VFL fans every Saturday during the home and away season, with coverage on Saturday and Sunday during the Acacia Finals Series. The ABC have also committed to broadcasting this year’s State League match at Blundstone Arena (Bellerive) between the Tasmanian State League and the VFL on May 26.
In a change from previous years, ABC ‘match of the round’ broadcast games will be announced on a monthly basis. AFL Victoria hopes to announce the first month’s coverage in the next week, with the fixtured time for those games to change to 1:10pm.
ABC TV will start their coverage of the Peter Jackson VFL for season 2012 on Saturday March 24.
Last Modified on 23/02/2012 15:58