In a move the AFL hasn't even come close to entertaining, the WDFNL approved football and netball matches to be played on Good Friday.

Old Collegians and Merrivale will do battle in the controversial game on April 2. The proposal was approved subject to Old Collegians securing a liquor licence.

Balmer acknowledged the importance of the day to Christians but said the league needed to move with the times.

"There were a fair few people with religious concerns. It is a day of worship," Balmer said. "But we live in a secular, multicultural society these days and we need to think for everyone.

"There is complete freedom of choice - no one has to watch or play football on Good Friday."

The game predictably sparked an outcry among south-west Christians, particularly Catholic leaders, who believed the holiest day on their calendar should be kept just that.

It's a view the AFL, with its 'no footy on Good Friday' edict, takes seriously.

The AFL also believed its Easter draw - a Thursday night match and games on Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday - worked well.

The WDFNL is not entirely breaking new ground. Good Friday matches are a regular fixture with the NRL, which last year staged its first Good Friday match in Melbourne.

Balmer said the game was a "club-driven initiative" from Old Collegians, which traced its origins to Warrnambool's former Christian Brothers College. The school merged with St Ann's College to form Emmanuel College in the 1990s.

Collegians president Ashley Porra told The Standard the match would support the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal and expected it to boost club revenue.

But he said the most important part of the proposal was it gave players a long weekend during the Easter break.

"The feedback we have had from players is that they are keen because they can play the game on the Friday, then they have a whole long weekend in front of them where they can spend Easter with their families," he said.