Lavington Sportsground to host next three Ovens and Murray grand finals

The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League made its decision at Monday night's board meeting on May 8 for the 2023, 2024 and 2025 deciders.

The Lavington Panthers, with support from AlburyCity council, and Wangaratta Magpies, aided by the Rural City of Wangaratta, submitted applications for the closed tender process.

"The intention of the decision to extend through to 2025 resulted from a review of last year's tender process. It highlighted the increasing pressure on clubs and respective councils not only to submit, but ultimately deliver the event, in a timeframe that is no longer relative to the size of the event," chairperson David Sinclair said.

"The redeveloped Lavington Sportsground proved itself to be an outstanding facility for last season's grand final, with spectator and player experiences the key focus.

"The recent resurfacing of the netball show court, along with the completion of a new court since last year's decider, will further enhance what the facility can provide."

Lavington hosted the league's first grand final in three years in front of around 8700 spectators after COVID wiped out the 2020-21 deciders.

Wangaratta's Norm Minns Oval hosted the two previous grand finals with Lavington Sportsground undergoing a $19.6 million redevelopment.

"It means you can plan ahead and resource it more effectively, both from a club and council perspective," Lavington Panthers' president Mark Sanson suggested of the three-year deal.

"It definitely saves time too because you had to do the application every year."

The grand final will be held on Sunday, September 24.

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"This recent announcement is a testament to the experience that the new state-of-the-art facility can offer, and we can't wait to welcome fans of the league to celebrate the next three years with us," Albury mayor Kylie King enthused.

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