The Gippsland League is preparing for a full winter season of football, after this year’s was heavily impacted by COVID.

The 2022 fixture has been released with a complete 18 rounds, and the League’s newly appointed chairman intends for all of them to be played.

Former Bass Coast mayor Brett Tessari was elected to the Gippsland League’s chairman position at the AGM last week. He said the newly elected board was excited for the year ahead.

“Realistically, our aim will be to get through the whole season, wouldn’t it be nice to play 18 games and a full finals series,” Tessari said.

The Gippsland League recently made the move to self-governance after six years of management by AFL Gippsland’s Regional Administration Centre.

Seven representatives were elected to the board, each with their own strengths. The board includes previous club presidents, on-field talent, and those with business and corporate knowledge.

“There’s a little bit of everything so it’s a fantastic board and really excited for the challenges ahead,” Tessari said.

Round 1 will see three matchups that the clubs missed out on playing in 2021, with Drouin doing battle with Maffra for the first time in three years.

The ANZAC day weekend will see huge rivalries clash in Round 3, such as the Warragul and Drouin Western Derby.

“I’m looking forward to round one just to get to that first game, I’m so excited about the challenge ahead in the role,” Tessari said.

Tessari served as Wonthaggi Power president for six years, but this year he’ll enjoy backing a number of sides.

“This year I’ll be going around the whole league and seeing different games, I’ve never experienced that so I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

Tessari expects there will only be minor changes to operations going into next year.

“With the last two seasons that we’ve had, it’s really important for us just to get to the start of the new season in the best shape we can possibly be in,” he said.