After a year on the sidelines, the VFL is back in 2021. A COVID-induced season cancellation in 2020 meant footy fans missed out on all the action from one of the best state-level competitions in the country.
But now the Victorian Football League is back bigger and better than ever – and you can watch it for free this weekend. The new season sees teams from NSW and QLD introduced for the first time, with the league expanding from 15 teams in 2019 to 22 in 2021.
While the season officially kicked off today (Friday, 16 April) with defending premiers Richmond reserves taking on Sandringham, the first televised game will be on Saturday, 17 April via Kayo Freebies.
Some of the fixtures in round one include the Sydney Swans v GWS Giants reserves clash at Lakeside Oval in Sydney, Brisbane taking on Essendon at Moreton Bay Sports Complex in Brisbane, and Geelong tackling North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium. All three games are live and free on Kayo Freebies this weekend.
We’ve created a guide on how to watch the latest action, whether you're in Australia or currently overseas. Read on to see how you can get access to free live sport.
VFL live stream in Australia: watch for free online
The VFL has launched a new broadcast deal in 2021, sharing rights among the Seven Network, Foxtel and Kayo.
Channel Seven will broadcast the VFL's match of the day live and free each week on Sundays, and you'll also be able to live stream it via 7plus. In addition, 2021 will see the VFL broadcast on Fox Footy, with a Thursday night match live in the weeks where there is no AFL Thursday night game.
Kayo will broadcast at least two additional matches live every round on Kayo Freebies, with the streaming service broadcasting three matches in each of the first two rounds to kick-off the season.
Kayo Freebies sees a range of free content made available on the platform, giving more people access to the sports streaming experience. And you don't need to be a paying Kayo customer to access Freebies either. Anyone can watch Kayo Freebies by simply registering a free account online. Head to Kayo Sports for more.
And if you're a diehard footy fan, you can watch every AFL game across the regular season, along with the entire finals series and grand final, with a full subscription to Kayo Sports.
Kayo will set you back just AU$25/month for the basic package, which includes simultaneous streams on two screens. And if you’re looking to stream across more devices, the premium package will give you three screens for just AU$35/month.
Kayo Sports offers a no-lock-in contract and gives all customers a 14-day FREE TRIAL so you can check it out before you fully commit. You’ll be able to watch on most devices, including Android and iOS mobiles, Macs, PC, Chromecast, select smart TVs and Android TVs, PCs and Macs, and Telstra TV boxes.
What else can I watch for free?
This weekend, Kayo Freebies is also offering you the chance to watch motorsport live and free.
For the first time ever, Kayo Freebies will exclusively host a race weekend, with the entire Supercars Tasmania event from 9:20am on Saturday, April 17.
Formula 1 is also free for Kayo viewers, with all practice sessions from the Italian Grand Prix on Freebies this weekend.
If that's not reason enough to sign up, the streaming service will be running 30 weeks of ESPN documentaries. Releasing a new one each week, the series starts with a look at the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
What if I go on holiday when the game is on?
For Aussies who subscribe to streaming services like Kayo, you’ll find these don’t work if you head overseas on holiday (not that anyone can really do that at the moment anyway).
But if you do find yourself abroad and unable to access your streaming account, your best option is to use a VPN service to change your IP address to a different location. This should let you access your local coverage as you would back home.
T3’s tech experts have ranked the best VPNs for the everyday user, making it easy for you to find the best one to meet your needs.
