Footscray Bulldogs and Southport Sharks will meet in the 2025 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final at IKON Park on Sunday, September 21.
2025 Smithy's VFL Grand Final
Footscray Bulldogs (1st) vs Southport Sharks (3rd)
Sunday, September 21, 2:15pm AEST
IKON Park, Carlton North • Wurundjeri
Broadcast: The 2025 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final will be broadcast live and free on the Seven Network via 7mate in Victoria and 7plus nationally. The match will also be streamed live and free on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App.
Ticketing: Admission prices will be adults $20, concession/pensioners $15 and children under 15 free. Tickets can be purchased at www.intix.com.au/org/vfl from midday on Tuesday, September 16. Patrons purchasing at the gate are advised the payment method is card only.
Merchandise: The Bulldogs Shop will be located outside Gate 6 (main entrance) at IKON Park with all the latest merch available for purchase so you can cheer on the Dogs in style!
The 2025 Smithy's VFL Grand Final will be contested by this year’s minor premiers the Footscray Bulldogs and last year’s beaten grand finalists the Southport Sharks.
The Bulldogs last reached the VFL Grand Final in 2016 when they claimed their second premiership in three years by defeating the Casey Demons by 31 points. It followed a 22-point win over the Box Hill Hawks in the 2014 decider.
Footscray enters the Smithy’s VFL Grand Final on a 13-match winning streak. After finishing the home and away season in first spot with a 15-3 record, they accounted for Frankston by 80 points in the qualifying final before beating the Box Hill Hawks by 31 points in the preliminary final.
Southport will play in the Smithy’s VFL Grand Final for the third time in four seasons as it continues its chase for its first VFL premiership.
The Sharks went down to Werribee by six points in a classic last year, having been beaten by the Casey Demons by 32 points in the 2022 decider.
Southport finished the 2025 home and away season in third spot on the ladder with a 13-4-1 record. They defeated the Box Hill Hawks by 21 points at Box Hill City Oval in the qualifying final, before smashing Frankston by 88 points at Fankhauser Reserve in the preliminary final.
Footscray and Southport haven’t met during the 2025 season, with their last meeting coming in last year’s preliminary final when the Sharks claimed an upset 10-point win at Mission Whitten Oval.
