After a long hiatus, the region's top football and netball league will return on April 2 across a bumper Easter weekend.
Three games — all under lights — are scheduled for Good Friday, though the Saints will not embark on their season until the next day, travelling to face Shepparton Swans on Saturday, April 3.
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The Saints’ first home game of the year will come a week later in round two, with the team hosting last year's grand finalists, Echuca.
The 18-round season, with two split rounds, will come to a head with the grand final slated for Sunday, September 19, at Deakin Reserve, Shepparton.
“After a year unlike any other, we are eagerly looking forward to the return of football and netball in 2021,” league chairman David Roff said.
The GVL released a separate fixture for its under-16 competition, which will be played before the under-18s.
All teams, except for Benalla and Mansfield, will field a side in the inaugural season with two teams to face a bye each round.
Round four on April 24 has been titled Anzac Round, while Indigenous Round will return in round 13 to coincide with NAIDOC Week.
And fans of interleague action should keep their calendar clear on May 22, with a general bye pencilled in for that weekend.
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● The Kyabram District League fixture has also been released ahead of the 2021 season, with Violet Town scheduled to face Ardmona in round-one action.
Matches will resume after the huge hiatus on April 10, with clubs playing 16 games across 18 rounds before sinking their collective teeth into finals action from August 28.
Throw in a general bye on June 12 — and a split round across the last two weekends of July — and teams will have four gaps in the calendar to stay well-rested throughout the campaign.
The grand final is again slated for September 18.
The league has also announced the makeup of its executive for the next year, with Fraser Kerrins remaining president, while Wayne Ryan (football) and Jo Backway (netball) will fill vice-president roles.
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