sport
Bendigo Clubs Boost Participation With Major Events and New Leadership
Local netball and football sides are using upcoming showcases and new leadership to grow participation and connections across the region.
How we reported this
Red Energy Arena will host the 2026 Code Sports NBL Blitz from September 2-6, bringing all 10 NBL teams to Bendigo for a pre-season tournament that places local basketball infrastructure at the centre of national attention.
These major bookings arrive at a time when Bendigo’s clubs are expanding their reach through structured pre-season activity and fresh coaching appointments. The events create regular opportunities for local players and supporters to engage with elite competition without leaving the city, which helps maintain year-round involvement in club programs.
Netball sides prepare for showcase matches
The Melbourne Vixens and Melbourne Mavericks will contest an inaugural standalone 2026 Suncorp Super Netball pre-season Derby at Red Energy Arena as part of the Bound 4 Bendigo showcase. The Bendigo Strikers will open proceedings with a Victorian Netball League intra-club curtain-raiser clash, giving local athletes direct exposure ahead of the higher-profile fixtures.
Placing these matches at Red Energy Arena allows the Strikers and other regional netball groups to use the same venue as visiting national teams. This shared facility access supports training standards and creates visible pathways for younger players who train at the arena during the week.
Football clubs enter new season with renewed leadership
South Bendigo FNC begins the 2025 season under co-coaches Jack Fallon and Troy Coates following an off-season recruiting drive. Sandhurst enters the same Bendigo Bank Bendigo Football Netball League senior footy season as reigning premier and current top-ranked side.
The combination of new coaching stability at South Bendigo and sustained success at Sandhurst illustrates how clubs are retaining and attracting participants through clear on-field direction. Both sides operate within the same league structure, which encourages regular local derbies and community involvement across multiple suburbs.
With confirmed dates for the NBL Blitz and Bound 4 Bendigo now set, clubs can align their own pre-season schedules around these anchor events. Supporters and volunteers gain predictable opportunities to contribute at Red Energy Arena while the city’s established netball and football programs continue to develop players for the coming seasons.