Weekly Times | THE Goulburn Valley Football League has abandoned its traditional grand final date for next season after the 2016 fixture was approved at the league’s annual general meeting last night.
Goulburn Valley chairman David Roff said for the first time the Goulburn Valley grand final would be played on the Sunday before the AFL Grand Final.
The league traditionally plays its grand final the day after the AFL’s.
The AFL’s decision to schedule a bye weekend between its final home-and-away round and the first round of finals, pushing its grand final back to October 1, impacted the fixtures of several community leagues, including the Goulburn Valley.
The AFL’s announcement of its fixture and the weekend off last month came just days after the Goulburn Valley released its draft fixture to its clubs for feedback.
Earlier in the year the clubs had voted to retain its traditional grand final allotment.
At last night’s meeting the clubs voted 11-1 in favour of keeping the fixture as it was when it was presented at the delegates meeting last month so the Goulburn Valley grand final will be played on September 25, the AFL Preliminary Final weekend.
Roff said a “massive positive” of the new fixture was that no club would have more than two away games in a row.
“We were not aware of the AFL’s intention to schedule a bye after Round 23,” he said.
“Through our open dialogue with clubs they decided they were very happy with the fixture as it was and for the first time we will play the GOTAFE GVFL grand final on the Sunday before the AFL Grand Final.”