Melbourne University Lightning has successfully retained its license to compete in the Bupa Victorian Netball League (VNL) for the 2019-2023 competitions.
Lightning will continue to partner with the University of Melbourne, as it has done since the end of 2014.
President of the Club, Lindy Murphy, said that the new five-year license “provides security and longevity for the Club and our stakeholder groups.”
“It places the Club in a very strong position to continue to deliver a high-performance development pathway for players & coaches.
“The length of the license will enable the Club to consolidate our strategic vision and to continue to strengthen the foundation we have built with The University of Melbourne,” she said.
Feedback from the VNL stated that Lightning’s application demonstrated best practise, exceeding all submission requirements.
The renewed license comes off the back of yet another strong season for Lightning, finishing as minor premiers. The team’s Round 16 103 – 33 defeat of the Sovereigns is understood to be the highest points total in a single game in VNL history, while also being the record for the greatest winning margin.
Nine clubs received renewed licenses, however the winless Sovereigns have made way for the Casey Demons to enter the 10-team competition in 2019. The 2019 VNL Championship season gets underway next April at the State Netball Hockey Centre, and Lightning will be hoping to top the home-and-away ladder for the third year in a row.
The netball focus now shifts to the Varsity Challenge where the University’s netballers will take on Monash University at the Sports Centre on Friday 5 October. The winner of this game will take on the winner of ANU vs Sydney University on Friday 19 October in the Varsity Challenge Grand Final.
