ABC Sport Returns to VFL, Nostalgia Floods In

I'm Cory with the story, bringing you the latest from Adelaide News today.

ABC Sport is back, broadcasting Victorian football league matches after more than a decade

away.

The new deal brings live VFL coverage starting this Saturday, March 21st, with Footscray

facing Casey.

It's stirring up Big nostalgia for the old Victorian Football Association days on ABC Television,

where Phil Cleary's passion and voice became.

Legendary.

Back in the late 1980s, ABC stepped in for VFA broadcast when bigger leagues hit snags

with rights deals.

They built a dream team around commentator Peter G, Boundary writer Ross Booth, and experts

Phil Cleary and Sam Kekovic.

Cleary, then coaching Colberg, joined right after his sister's tragic murder, bringing raw

energy to the mic.

Fans still rave about that crew's chemistry and fire.

They treated suburban footy like the main event, turning plumbers and teachers into stars

with colorful calls and zero AFL distractions.

Those Saturday afternoon shows pulled solid ratings, even topping rivals and finals with

figures around 20.

The broadcast ran strong until 2014, surviving league name changes in club shakeups.

Cleary kept calling gains while serving in federal parliament, and the exposure boosted

careers like Kekovic's path to national fame.

Booth, a trailblazing voice, passed away last year, but clips live on YouTube.

Now Jason Bennett leads the ABC team, hoping to recapture that community magic amid the

expanded partnership with Fox footy and seven.

Old fans are buzzing online about those garish green and gold jackets from the era.

State league footy feels right at home again.

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