AFL New Zealand Premiership players from across the country are preparing to head back to the training track ahead of the 2018 competition which is set to kick off on February 11th at QBE Stadium in Albany, Auckland.
Players from South Auckland head back next Tuesday the 16th of January, followed by Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago who will get underway on Wednesday the 17th of January. Hamilton and the satellite regions will resume training on Thursday the 18th.
With less than a month before round 1, each region will focus on a specific training programme created by AFL New Zealand High Performance management staff.
Four teams will compete in the Premiership Season based at North Harbour Stadium on Auckland’s North Shore with a 9 round schedule culminating in late April.
The AFL New Zealand Premiership includes talented athletes throughout New Zealand with players flying in to Auckland weekly throughout the competition.
In 2016, the Western Crows, who were led by New Zealand head coach Rob Malone were lucky enough to take out the inaugural competition. In 2017, the Southern Saints captained by Michael Boyce, dropped only one game throughout the season and were crowned champions in April earlier this year.
The AFL New Zealand Premiership is seen as the perfect opportunity for a higher level competition providing an extension to the traditional regional league seasons spanning between August to December each year.
2018 AFL New Zealand Premiership Season Schedule
Round 1 February 11th 2018
Round 2 February 18th 2018
Round 3 February 25th 2018
Round 4 March 4th 2018
Round 5 March 11th 2018
Round 6 March 18th 2018
Round 7 March 25th 2018
Round 8 April 8th 2018
Round 9 April 15th 2018
