In episode five of the Off the Record podcast series, The Courier explores the creation and ultimate demise of Ballarat's Victorian Netball League club.
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Entering the competition in the late 2000s, the club played close to a decade in the league before it failed in a bid to renew its VNL licence.
The podcast chronicles the early days of the Ballarat Pride, which later became the Sovereigns, from the glory days of the 1990s through to the 2000s.
The Courier sat down with key figures from the era to discuss the club's entry to the VNL and how it fared against the top players in the state.
Among topics were the on-court struggles the team faced as it grappled to retain its identity.
The podcast looks at challenges that came with maintaining a regional-based club in a metropolitan dominated league and why it proved unsustainable, despite stacking up financially.
It also examines what the pathway now looks like for young regional netballers, who are forced to travel hundreds of kilometres in order to pursue their dream of playing at an elite level.
Keep an eye out on thecourier.com.au after noon on Friday.
