Bulldogs Bingo is back.
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One of the Wodonga Football-Netball Club's major revenue streams was one of the many community-based activities forced into hibernation when the coronavirus pandemic hit Australian shores.
But this Friday signals the return of "eyes down" for the regulars who play Bulldogs Bingo which had been running on a weekly basis since 1986.
"Bingo is very important to the running of the club," club volunteer Lloyd Deane said.
"As well as providing a service to those who enjoy bingo it provides much needed funds for the football-netball club.
"That revenue has been badly missed for the last eight or nine months.
"It never crossed our minds that we wouldn't be able to run bingo for such a long period of time.
"But that is the sort of year 2020 has been.
"Thankfully we are on the bounce back and things are starting to get back to some kind of normal."
But the return of bingo at the Bulldogs social rooms will look different to when it was last held in March.
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COVID rules including numbers capped at 100, face masks must be worn and contact details provided upon entry with the first of 30 games starting at 7.30pm.
Wodonga is one of only Ovens and Murray Football-Netball League clubs which still runs a weekly bingo competition.
Wangaratta Magpies will resume their Wednesday night bingo on December 9, according to the club's bingo co-ordinator Ken Farrell.
"When I go shopping down the street I certainly run into half a dozen regular bingo players and they regularly ask me 'when are we starting, when are we starting?'" Mr Farrell said.
Arch-rivals Wangaratta Rovers ceased their Monday night bingo in 2014.
Its inception in 1977 coincided with a golden era for the Hawks in the O and M when they won seven premierships between 1971 and 1979.
Bingo proceeds contributed an estimated $500,000 into the club's coffers during its 37-year existence.
During the COVID shutdown many O and M clubs have been running weekly lotto competitions to keep fundraising ticking over with onfield action.
The O and M released its 2021 draw last week with a late March start pencilled in.
