Goulburn Valley League action will once again fill the airwaves of ONE FM this weekend, with the local radio station set to broadcast the round 13 clash between Tatura and Benalla.
This weekend’s match will be one of three GVL games ONE FM will broadcast in the remaining six rounds of the home-and-away season, with its commitment to the Kyabram District League its number one priority.
The other two games ONE FM will broadcast are the Sunday afternoon clash between Echuca and Kyabram in round 15 and the round 16 match between Shepparton and Echuca on August 13.
Goulburn Valley League operations manager Jo Spencer confirmed the news of ONE FM’s return on Thursday morning.
“The GOTAFE Goulburn Valley League and ONE FM have both reviewed their existing broadcast schedules and are pleased to advise that three home-and-away season games will be broadcast on ONE FM,” Spencer said.
“This will further complement the GVL’s existing broadcast schedule which is available on the league’s website. We look forward to continuing to explore future broadcasting arrangements of GVL games with all our broadcast partners.”
For ONE FM, this comes as a major boost after the station’s 30-year partnership with the league was controversially terminated on the eve of the 2022 season.
ONE FM Operations Manager Jason Welsh said he was thrilled to be able to bring GVL action back to the local airwaves.
“We are super excited (to be back), the partnership with Goulburn Valley League footy has been in existence for 30 years with ONE FM and has traditionally been one of the major projects we’ve undertaken,” Welsh said.
“There is a strong connection between us and GVL clubs right across the region, so to be back working with the league once again, we are super pumped.”
The station will balance its agreement with the GVL with its current arrangement with the KDL, hence only committing to the three games for the remainder of the home-and-away season.
But with the GVL finals series continuing after the KDL season comes to a close, Welsh said the potential was there to broadcast more matches in September.
“Having an arrangement with the KDL we will continue to fulfil that and will only broadcast GVL games that don’t impact on that,” he said.
“For the remainder of the season there will be three GVL games, but we’ve proposed to the league to do finals where it’s possible.
“This could include the preliminary and grand finals along with the qualifying final under lights at Mooroopna — but the GVL at this point hasn’t settled its broadcasting arrangements come finals which we completely understand.”
In terms of what this means for the station’s coverage of GVL football moving forward, Welsh said this agreement would see ONE FM broadcasting the league in 2023.
“We had ongoing negotiations with the league and were finally able to come to an agreement that will see ONE FM broadcasting GVL games again,” he said.
“This agreement also has a clause and a view to extend that commitment beyond this season — which is exciting for us knowing we don’t have to go through what we went through earlier this year.”