The Illawarra's top netballers will soon have the chance to match it against the state's best, with a new South Coast team set to be included in the 2020 NSW Premier League.
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The South Coast Blaze and ACT-based Capital Spirit will enter the expanded 10-team competition in the opens and under 23s division.
The Blaze is a joint partnership of the Illawarra, Kiama and Shoalhaven Netball Associations, with support also coming from the Illawarra Academy of Sport and University of Wollongong.
Netball NSW CEO Carolyn Campbell said the inclusion of the new teams will provide the Illawarra's netballers a pathway to representative honours.
"Both the Blaze and Spirit put forward very strong cases for inclusion in the competition going forward and we are delighted to welcome them into our Opens and Under 23s competitions," Campbell said.
"We have seen our Australian Netball League teams reach Grand Finals over the past few years and I think the level of netball they are exposed to in the Premier League helps with that."
The Blaze will take on the likes of GWS and Central Coast in the competition.
The news came as Dapto Netball Club raised funds for the World's Greatest Shave in support of club member Aaliyah Matar, who has been diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia, a rare sub-type of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
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