By the time dusk falls over Tatura on Anzac Day, the lights will be on — not just above the oval at Tatura Park, but in the hearts of a town reclaiming a tradition it has long been denied.

For the first time in about a decade, Tatura Football Netball Club will host a night fixture, squaring off against Shepparton Swans in Goulburn Valley League under a newly-upgraded lighting system that quite literally changes the game.

On a day when we pause to reflect, this one carries a special kind of electricity.

Friday’s occasion is rich in symbolism, as the Bulldogs invite the region not just to remember, but to gather and bask in the glow of community and the ever-burning Anzac spirit.

Tatura vice-president Simon Pogue said the Bulldogs were stoked to flip the lights on at Tatura Park on such a special day.

“The fact that it coincides with Anzac Day which is one of the most special days on the calendar in the country, we’re very humbled and privileged to be given that opportunity to enjoy the things we’re afforded because of the contribution made by Anzacs,” he said.

“We’ve been really humbled and grateful for the support of the Tatura RSL sub branch, and in particular Rod Schubert who is a councillor himself for Midland Ward that Tatura falls in.

“They were the first people we wanted to engage with and we’ve been really humbled by their participation.

“We’re extremely grateful for the Shepparton Swans for agreeing to have the game on Anzac Day and to make the necessary changes to allow it happen.”

In a year that marks the return of night footy to this proud patch of the Goulburn Valley, there’s something poetic about it happening on Anzac Day, a date etched in solemn light.

For the past decade, Tatura Park was plunged into early evening darkness.

The lights weren’t up to code.

Night games became a fantasy, but after a determined effort from the club, community, and council, the lights have come back — and so too has a chance to shine.

The day’s proceedings are steeped in commemoration, with formalities led by the Tatura RSL sub branch just before the 6pm senior football bounce, as every senior footballer and A-grade netballer will participate in the ceremony.

The netballers, unable to play under lights, will finish before dark with each grade staging its own individual tribute.

Upstairs, the Collingwood-Essendon clash will beam from a big screen, but all eyes in the Goulburn Valley may well be on Tatura.

This is the region’s only football and netball fixture on Anzac Day.

It's a singular spotlight.

The club expects a big crowd; not only from the town, but from across the district.

Reciprocal membership arrangements with fellow country clubs like Merrigum, Murchison-Toolamba, Rushworth and Stanhope invite a broader family of footy fans to gather at the ground.

“It’s new ground for us, so it’s a bit of suck and see, but we just extend the invitation to anyone to come along and enjoy the day as much as they can,” Pogue said.

“There’s going to be some cracking games of footy and netball for all of us to enjoy.

“Our netballers are going pretty well and our footballers are quietly confident, they’re nothing if not resilient, and I would suggest they’ll be all fired up for a big game — particularly in the seniors.”

Tatura’s A-grade netball side heads in as favourite, sitting in fifth after knocking over 2024 grand finalist Echuca in round three.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ senior footy side has had an undesirable start and holds a 0-3 record, yet there’s an air of optimism beaming around Tatura Park ahead of the clash against the Swans.

There’s a kind of resilience at Tatura — an understated faith that grit and community are enough to meet any challenge.

That faith is what lights stadiums like Tatura Park, long before the switch is flipped.

So when the Last Post plays and the crowd stands still and the first whistle pierces the twilight, it won’t just be a game.

It’ll be a declaration: the lights are back on at Tatura and they’re here to stay.

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Sunday, 8th June 2025

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