The Central Victorian League One competition is the top flight of Bendigo Amateur Soccer League and its first round of games will begin on April 20.
After losing in the grand final to Tatura again Shepparton South will be looking to repeat its round one efforts from last season, where it won 3-1, and get some revenge on its rival.
On the other side of the fence, after winning back-to-back grand finals, Tatura coach Tristan Zito said his side had taken a different approach to normal in terms of how it prepared this pre-season.
“We’ve only been back on the track for a couple of weeks,” Zito said.
“We started pre-season a bit later and we are not playing in the Australia Cup this year just to give the boys a bit more time off.
“Feeling pretty confident (about their chances this season), got a pretty similar squad to last year, so no worries on my end.”
After last year’s defeat to South in round one Zito is keen to start the season with a bang so they can get a head start on their main championship rival.
“We know we have to be on it from round one,” he said.
“If we drop points there then we are playing catch up, which we have done in the past couple of years.
“South has got on top of us and we have always been trying to chase them back.
“It’s part of the reason we have had a change to the pre-season, so we can hit the ground running in round one.“
The top division will welcome back Shepparton Soccer Club for the first time since 2019, after a mix of COVID-19 and club refurbishments forced the organisation out of the league.
But all of that is in the past as the club now looks towards round one when it takes on Strathdale at its home ground of Vibert Reserve.
The day should be a cause for celebration for more than its return to division one, with the club also celebrating its 65th anniversary.
Epsom will be hoping to continue its development after a successful 2023 season.
The Scorpions narrowly missed out on a spot in the grand final after they lost to South 3-2 in the semi-final.
This year Epsom will open its account by hosting fellow semi-finalist Eaglehawk at home.
Shepparton United was the third most attacking side in the league in terms of goals last season (48) and will be hoping to make a bright start to its away trips when it takes on Spring Gully United at Stanley Avenue in round one.
After winning the grand final two years on the trot, some may expect the Ibises to lose motivation and drive after so much success.
But Zito doesn’t think his side will face this problem, saying the players are hungry to go for a hat-trick of titles.
“I think they are all pretty self-motivated,” he said.
“It’s probably one of those things that doesn’t really have too much to do with me. They (the players) come back and if they want to go again, they go again.
“Most of the boys have said they have come back committed. To me, that means that they are motivated and want to win again.”
