The Central Highlands football and netball season will be longer next year.
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The CHFL and CHNL competitions will run for an extra week with a second break being introduced in the second half of the season.
As well as having the King's Birthday Long Weekend off in June, there will also be no football or netball four weeks later on Saturday, July 6.
This will coincide with school holidays.
![CHFL and CHNL players to get extra week off next year CHFL and CHNL players to get extra week off next year](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/mTvP5NhWJFQFv7uTytgxtB/40012ac3-34a5-419d-837b-c4c7fccc990b.JPG/r0_36_5392_3595_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
With a bye already locked in, every team will get three breaks during the home and away season.
The opening round will be played on Saturday, April 13 - two weeks after Easter - and finals start on August 24-25.
The grand final has been scheduled for Mars Stadium on Saturday, September 14.
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CHFL administrator Diane Ryan said a second weekend off had been discussed previously, but no action been taken.
She said clubs often had trouble with player unavailability during the school holidays and the change would help them better manage this situation.
Ryan said from a football perspective, the week off would also help better manage ground surfaces given this was usually the wettest time of the season.
With the breaks within a month of each other, there is the potential that up to three teams play just two games over five weeks.
The CHFL and CHNL season fixture, which comprises 16 games for each club in 17 home and away matches, is yet to be released.
- For updates on CHFL and CHNL coaching and player news, www.thecourier.com.au