PEAK has thrown its support behind the Gold with players, staff and coaches kitted out in their high-performance gear and footwear.

Bendigo Gold chairman Tim Dickson said PEAK’s sponsorship supported the club’s campaign to keep VFL football in the region.

Dickson said he was looking forward to the first game of the season against Geelong on Friday night.

“After the past six months we have had in regard to making the club sustainable, it's nice to get back into football,” he said.

“If you look at where we were and where we are now, it's a great achievement.

“For all involved and everyone at the club, football is a nice distraction.”

PEAK business development manager Ben Harvey said it was important to support local sporting clubs.

“We are happy to get involved with the Bendigo Gold... we think it is a really good fit,” he said.  

Dickson said despite the club not having the same budget as most other VFL clubs, it was heading in the right direction.

He said the Cats would prove to be tough opposition.

“This time last year we had three players who had previously played VFL before and we had 20 players make their VFL debut,” Dickson said.

“This year we have seven or eight making their debut.

“The majority of the players know what to expect and have had a second pre-season under the belt."

Bendigo host Geelong at the Queen Elizabeth Oval at 7pm on Friday night.