The NSW Swifts will head to Mudgee this week as the Premiers look to reconnect with themselves and their rural fan-base ahead of the revised 2020 Suncorp Super Netball season.
In what is a continuation of the Swifts heading to regional New South Wales - the team headed to Newcastle in 2016, Dubbo and Orange in 2018 and Port Stephens in 2019 - head coach Briony Akle said it was important for her players to meet young fans who may not have the opportunity to see the team in action.
"Unlike previous years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this is a low-key affair and a quick trip to a part of the state that we usually don't get a chance to visit," she said.
"We are doing a clinic in Mudgee and we are really looking forward to seeing our next generation of young fans who we hope will make memories to last a lifetime.
“The players have made this trip happen on the back of their own initiative and I think this shows how much the support and connection we have with people all over the state means to them.
"We may play most of our games in Sydney, and have players from all over the world in our squad, but everyone buys into what it means to represent this great state, and that is what makes the team successful.
"The places in our free clinic were snapped up, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone have fun in Covid-safe environment."
Akle also said the team would use the trip west to get used to one another again having been apart for months due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
"I said during the lockdown that we managed to keep a really good connection among the group, especially via our Zoom sessions, but you can't replicate what it's like on away trips.
"The season is quickly approaching and we are lucky enough in NSW to have some restrictions eased, so we're going to take advantage of an opportunity to get used to one another again.
"That we get to visit some regional Swifts fans in the process makes the trip even better."
