Bendigo Football League Finals Preview Locks in August Showdown

The Bendigo Football League finals series opens on July 20 when Sandhurst meets Golden Square in the qualifying final at the Bendigo Showgrounds.

The regular season wrapped on July 11 after 18 rounds that left the top four separated by just eight premiership points, forcing clubs to sharpen tactics ahead of sudden-death matches.

Club Preparations at Local Grounds

Sandhurst has used the QEO oval on View Street for its final training block, while Golden Square has shifted sessions to the Bendigo Football Netball Club facilities on Hargreaves Street. Both sides have drawn players from the league junior academy that operates out of Lake Weeroona, where weekly skills sessions run for under-16 squads. The Bendigo Sports Development Initiative, funded through the city council, supplied new goal-post padding and video analysis software to all four finalists last month.

Attendance at last year finals series averaged 4,820 per game, with the 2025 grand final recording 12,450 spectators on August 23. Adult tickets for the July 20 double-header cost $28 when bought online before July 18, rising to $35 at the gate.

Schedule and Access Details

Qualifying and elimination finals run across July 20 and 27 at the Showgrounds, followed by the preliminary final on August 2 and the grand final on August 16. Supporters can buy reserved seating through the league website or collect physical tickets at the Bendigo Visitor Centre on Lyttleton Terrace. Gates open at 10am each day, with free entry for children under 12 accompanied by an adult.

Parking remains limited on View Street during match days, so the league advises using the shuttle bus that departs every 15 minutes from the Bendigo Railway Station car park. Updated ladder predictions and team lists appear each Wednesday on the league site ahead of the next weekend fixtures.