The senior men’s and women’s fixtures have been confirmed alongside the men’s reserves with others to be announced in due course.
That said, all eyes will be on Tatura Soccer Club once more as the big red machine, undergoing another change in leadership, seeks a monumental fourth consecutive men’s championship.
The Ibises have installed former Goulburn Valley Suns representative Cody Sellwood as their 2025 coach, as former boss Tristan Zito heads to the Orangemen to lead their under-23 outfit.
It’s a later start than usual for the league, set to get rolling on Anzac Day weekend after kicking off a week sooner in 2024.
Round one of its triple premiership defence features a bumper Sunday afternoon of action on April 27, with Tatura hosting Shepparton at Howley Oval, while Shepparton United and Shepparton South kick their campaigns off in a McEwen Reserve derby.
With all four Greater Shepparton clubs locking horns on the season’s first Sunday, the four Bendigo-area clubs do the same a day prior on Saturday, April 26 — including newcomer La Trobe University, replacing the relegated Spring Gully United.
Round three is a similarly big Sunday of action across town on May 11 as La Trobe makes its first trip along the Midland Hwy to meet Shepparton at Vibert Reserve, while rivals Shepparton South and Tatura renew hostilities at McEwen Reserve.
Meanwhile, we get our first taste of grand final rematch action out west at Truscott Reserve in round four when Eaglehawk seeks revenge against the Ibises.
The final round of action, set for the weekend of August 23-24, will feature the same format as 2024 with a hat-trick of games on the Saturday before a standalone Sunday clash at McEwen Reserve — and what a main event it is.
The regular season’s last kick-off will be South and Tatura’s return fixture, a match-up virtually certain to have the competition watching for ladder implications.
The women’s division has a change in personnel as well, with Echuca-Moama’s Border Raiders entering the fray at the expense of bottom 2024 outfit Kyneton Districts.
Shepparton United will again figure among the title favourites under new boss Sheridan Fairless and will precede the men on the morning of April 27 at home to South in its season opener.
We won’t wait long for a grand final reunion, either, with United out to avenge league and cup heartbreak on a trip to meet champion Spring Gully United in round two.
