Chief executive officer Stephen Soulsby yesterday confirmed the opening weekend of the finals had delivered a significant boost to the league’s coffers compared with last year.

Sunday’s elimination final gate of $15,000 was more than double the gate takings for the corresponding game in 2009, while Saturday’s qualifying final ($11,000) brought in more than 25 per cent above 2009’s $8505.

Overall, takings were more than $10,500 up for the opening weekend of the finals series.

“It’s a good start,” Soulsby said.

“Hopefully it can continue but with the early weather predictions (for this weekend) it might drop to where it was last year.”

Soulsby said the increases at the gate could be partly attributed to each of the eight clubs having teams still involved in the finals.

He cautioned that players and officials involved in the day’s matches had to pay this year, which was not the case in 2009. But the revenue generated from players was nowhere near the extra taken at the gates.

Soulsby said last year the admission price, while $2 higher, had included a copy of the record. This year the record is charged separately.

He announced Port Fairy’s Gardens Oval would host Saturday’s second semi-final showdown between Warrnambool and South Warrnambool in the senior football and Camperdown and Warrnambool in the senior netball.

He said 12 of the 18 teams competing on Saturday were from the western end of the league.

Sunday’s cut-throat first semi-final will be hosted at the Friendly Societies’ Park, where Terang Mortlake and Koroit will square off in the senior football game and Koroit and South Warrnambool in the senior netball.

The league had opted for the Friendly Societies’ Park for the second consecutive week to “maximise spectator attendance”, Soulsby said.

It also fitted with the league’s policy of choosing venues that suited a majority of competing teams, with 13 of the 18 involved coming from the western end of the league.

Coincidentally, the semi-final venues are the same as last year.