The LVFNL has traditionally rotated its grand final venue between the clubs.

But the decision was made this week by the board for the next three years as a trial to lock in Marong Links Oval as the grand final venue, with the day to be run by the league.

Under the new arrangement, all money from the grand final day will go to the league and be filtered back to the clubs through their yearly dividends.

“It provides a guaranteed additional income stream for the league, so that was the first focus of the board,” LVFNL president Colleen Rogers said on Friday.

“And as a board, we’ve discussed ways in which we can promote and advance our league, and the reason we chose Marong is because of its proximity to Bendigo, which will, hopefully, help us attract a larger crowd.”

Coupled with being 16kms from Bendigo, Rogers said the appeal of Marong was also its “country feel”.

“It may or not be a significant thing, but Marong was also chosen because the venue reflects the country look of the league,” Rogers said.

“It’s close to Bendigo, but it’s still very much a country image.”

While the board has settled on Marong - which also hosted last year’s grand final between Bridgewater and Bears Lagoon-Serpentine - Rogers said neutral venues in Bendigo, including the Queen Elizabeth Oval, had been considered.

“We went into detail about possibly holding the grand final at the QEO the day after the BFL preliminary final,” Rogers said.

“The BFL and the council when we were investigating it felt it was a possibility and it would have been very exciting, but the logistics of getting that happening were quite consisiderable.”