Just more than 8000 people will be able to attend the Doggies' clash with the Brisbane Lions at Mars Stadium on Saturday afternoon under the 75 per cent capacity rule issued by the state government.

The sell-out comes a day after Western Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains told The Courier the club had begun negotiation talks to lock in a five-year deal to play in Ballarat.

Elite football's return also coincides with reigning Super Netball premiers the Melbourne Vixens playing two pre-season games a drop punt away at the Ballarat Sports and Events Centre against the Adelaide Thunderbirds on Saturday and Sunday.

Mr Bains said it was exciting for the club to return to Ballarat after nearly two years away due to the 2020 season being altered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We're delighted to have sold out this Saturday's game at Mars Stadium, three days before the match itself," he said

"Despite the fact that capacity is lower than we've experienced in the past, at 75 per cent, we're thrilled with the level of interest from our fans in Melbourne, as well as the community in Ballarat and surrounds. We look forward to Ballarat being a sea of red, white and blue all weekend long.

"We expect a large contingent of our fans to travel to Ballarat for the game, which should be a great spectacle given the Lions are a strong team with premiership aspirations.

"As we've stated previously, we were disappointed we weren't able to play our matches at Mars Stadium in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and we can't wait to witness the atmosphere our fans will create this Saturday."

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As part of the Melbourne Vixens' weekend stay in Ballarat, the club will be hosting clinics on Saturday and a Netball Victoria coaching and umpiring workshop, run by former Diamonds coach and Avoca resident Lisa Alexander, on Sunday.

New Vixens goal attack Kaylia Stanton, who came on board from the West Coast Fever in the off-season, said she was excited to play in front of the Ballarat fans.

"Obviously, with netball last year not being played in Victoria at all, we've got so many people who are all over the state, so to be able to play in front of them and come to them is something we're really excited about and to be able to put on a really good show against the Thunderbirds," she said.

"I think it's a really important aspect of sport... to be able to branch out not just to metro areas but also regional areas and really create that sense of community among the sporting environment."

Despite the big events weekend, V/Line will not be running additional services on the Ballarat line this weekend.

A V/Line spokesperson said a normal hourly timetable would be supplemented by a shuttle bus between the Ballarat CBD and Mars Stadium.

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