By Jennifer Witham
4:04 PM Fri 17 Dec, 2010
A KNOCKOUT competition featuring state league teams will be held from next season onwards with nine of the 16 clubs required confirmed as certain starters.
Three representatives from each of the VFL, SANFL and WAFL have taken up the AFL's offer to compete in the do-or-die competition, which will be staged throughout the season, with most games acting as curtain raisers to AFL matches.
Victoria will be represented by the recent three-time premiers North Ballarat, the Northern Bullants and Williamstown while Western Australia will put forward East Perth, Swan Districts and Claremont.
South Australia will be represented by West Adelaide, Port Adelaide Magpies and North Adelaide.
Invitations were extended based on ladder positions and availability of the clubs to compete. The other seven teams will be confirmed in the new year.
The competition is designed to showcase the quality of state league football across the country, with AFL general manager national and international development Dave Matthews pleased with the interest in the new initiative.
"From 2011, our traditional state league clubs in each league that have built our game's strength through more than a century of the development of Australia's only indigenous game, will be able to pit themselves against other state -league players, with four victories required in a straight knock out contest to claim the title," Matthews said.
He said much work still had to be done around the fixturing of games to ensure state league schedules accommodated the new competition.
A final fixture and other key issues are still being determined and will be released early next year, along with prize money and sponsorship details.
This article and photo was sourced from the AFL website - www.afl.com.au