The 18-round GVL season is slated to start on the second weekend of April, with a four-week finals series to take place throughout September, including the grand final on Sunday, September 25.
The fixture will incorporate competition split rounds in rounds 13 and 16, while May 28 has been set aside for the GVL and Ovens and Murray League to renew their storied rivalry in the return of inter-league football.
The Anzac Day round will be held in round three, while the Indigenous Round will be held during round nine games.
“After a year that saw only 11 rounds played due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are eagerly looking forward to the return of football and netball in 2022,” GVL board chair David Roff said.
Fans of the GVL are also set to get their fill of community football as the sport looks to emerge from the COVID-19 wilderness, with each club set to host at least one home Sunday fixture.
Eight of the 18 rounds include at least one Sunday clash, while a pair of games — Benalla vs Tatura and Shepparton United vs Shepparton — are slated for Good Friday.
“This is to help alleviate any umpire shortages that we saw during this season and expect to see next season as we see the return of community sport,” Roff said.
“The Sunday games will be a real feature of our fixture with some key clashes scheduled, such as the traditional Anzac Day matches Mooroopna vs Shepparton United and Euroa vs Seymour.”
With the league seeking club input on fixturing, GVL operations manager Josephine Spencer said 25 fixture requests were received and honoured.
“This fixture sees all 25 club requests met, which will go a long way in assisting clubs financially with key games, premiership reunions and traditional clashes scheduled.”
For the Rochester Football Club faithful, their Tigers will start their campaign at Moon Oval in round one, kicking off the 2022 season with a blockbuster clash against arch-rival Echuca.
“We’re happy with the draw,” Rochester president Jeff Bright said.
“Especially given we’re playing Echuca first round which should set up a really good game between two rivals that go back 100 years.”
Bright is also content the fixture remains mostly “local” for the Tigers.
“We like the bookend draw where we play the local teams twice for the year,” he said.
“It’s really good for us to play Ky, Echuca and Tatura twice a year, we enjoy that side of the draw; we’re happy they have retained it.
“And the whole draw for us throughout the year looks positive.”
Rochester’s Sunday clash comes in round 11 against Kyabram.
Round one
Rochester vs Echuca
Tatura vs Kyabram
Shepparton vs Mooroopna
Swans vs United
Seymour vs Benalla
Euroa vs Mansfield
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