Ballarat gets bonus game at Morshead Park

Led by new head coach Adam Grinholz, the Navy Blues will face Nunawading City at Morshead Park.

NPL3 was to have been launched last year, but did not get off the ground owing to the COVID-19 community sport shutdown.

The competition has been increased by one side, with Western United expanding its program to join what now has 12 teams.

The season will comprise 22 rounds.

Ballarat will have the bulk of its home games in the first half of the season - seven in the opening 10 rounds.

City FC gets a bonus game at Morshead Park with its second clash with Western United at the venue officially an away game.

Other than round one, all Ballarat's home games will played on Saturdays in the 3pm timeslot.

Ballarat City FC was placed in NPL3 after finishing 10^th and last in NPL2 in 2019, when it managed only three wins and finished nine points adrift of its nearest rival.

It used 34 players in that season, with 12 making appearances in 20 or more games.

Ballarat is also fielding NPL3 under-21 and under-19 sides, which will open their seasons on the same day against Nunawading at Morshead Park.