There is no doubt in anyone's mind that a season off — with more than 18 months between official matches for most clubs — will have immediate and long-term impacts that will shape the way we all do things for years to come.
But this weekend is not a time to worry too much about the future — that day will come quicker than we think.
No, this weekend is a time to get out to your local football and netball facilities and simply enjoy being back in action on a wide scale.
And when you get there, take a moment to pause. Set yourself up somewhere near the boundary line or side of the court, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Listen to all of the noises of a usual day of local sport and appreciate how lucky we are to be able to get back to doing what we love most.
Because that's what I'll be doing on Friday and Saturday as Goulburn Valley League action returns to the region.
Shepparton and Shepparton United will open proceedings on Good Friday evening, with all other matches of the round to be played on Saturday.
Just like the action out on the ovals and courts, McPherson Media Group coverage will have a different look this season as well.
The sports team has changed, with Rodney Woods (The News and Seymour Telegraph) and Liam Nash (The News and Benalla Ensign) joining its ranks.
Meg Saultry has also had a change of scenery, moving to Echuca to work with the Riverine Herald and Campaspe Valley News.
Aydin Payne (The News and Cobram Courier) and Andrew Johnston (Riverine Herald and Kyabram Free Press) are familiar faces, while in the 18 months since 2019 GVL grand final day I have moved into the role of McPherson Media Group sports editor.
The sports coverage will also change this season.
A dedicated Goulburn Valley League newsletter will hit your inboxes every week, so make sure you sign up at http://eepurl.com/htmXzz and nominate which team you would like to go in the running for some great prizes from the league.
Sign up to our new weekly Goulburn Valley League newsletter here
The newsletter will include a foreword from me, the best GVL content and photos of the week, as well as words from within the league or club.
The way we cover games live — and share our content online — will also be curated to help you find the information you want in the vast news cycle.
Our journalists will use the hashtag #MMGSport on Twitter when out and about at games, as well as when they share stories.
This will help you search for news relevant to the region, but as always you can head straight to sheppnews.com.au/sport to find it all in one place.
Football and netball podcasts are also on the horizon, where you will not only hear from us, but the coaches, players, volunteers and officials we chat to every week.
We have also tweaked the way we publish teams this year for all leagues.
For the first time they will be available online in the one spot so along with seeing if you got a game for the weekend, you can see who else is playing where across the region.
This will mean the vast majority of them will not be in the physical paper due to print deadlines, but any teams submitted early enough will have plenty of airtime in the match previews for each league.
That's it from me for now — it's time to watch football and netball action in droves.
Tyler Maher
McPherson Media Group sports editor
Sign up to our new weekly Goulburn Valley League newsletter here
6°C