Bendigo Strikers: Officially granted a Victorian Netball League licence

A historic day for netball in Bendigo and regional Victoria

In a historic moment, Bendigo Strikers has officially been awarded a five-year licence to participate in Netball Victoria's premier netball pathway, the Victorian Netball League (VNL). After a nearly decade-long wait, Bendigo's dream of having a VNL team has finally been realised.

From 2024, Bendigo Strikers will feature in an expanded 11-team VNL championship division and a revamped 12-team 23 & Under competition.

Picture by Kieran Iles

An interim board of local netball and sports administrators have joined forces to create an opportunity that has never existed before.

"Netball is an amazing sport with strong grassroots coverage within Bendigo and regional Victoria. What better way to give back than to assist a passionate group of people to create opportunities that are achievable for all regional Victorians, to play in the highest competition in Victoria. Pathways are so important," said Andrew Cooney, interim board chair.

Long-time VNL advocate for Bendigo, Melissa Ryan, understands the importance of Monday's announcement from Netball Victoria. "Having taken the learnings from past applications, we knew we needed to create a club that has strong governance and a sustainable financial model," Melissa said.

"This was way too important to give up on. What this opportunity creates for our regional athletes, coaches, umpires, and administrators is massive. What this will provide our wider netball community is incredibly exciting," said Melissa.

Bendigo Strikers is thrilled by this opportunity not just for the Bendigo Strikers, but for the whole netball community in regional Victoria. This opportunity opens up a crucial pathway step for athletes, coaches, umpires and administrators wanting to elevate their netball to the next level.

Coaching applications will open over the coming days, with athlete trials to be advertised in the near future. Our board will be busy talking to prospective sponsors, stakeholders and supporters in readiness to launch what will be a very exciting chapter for netball in Bendigo.