Opportunities for central Victorian netballers – and the strength of the sport in the region – will be showcased at a netball festival in Bendigo next month.The Melbourne Vixens’ visit to Bendigo – which includes a match against the Adelaide Thunderbirds – will be the highlight of the Central Victorian Netball Festival from March 23-25.A Women in Leadership breakfast, a Victorian Netball League match, netball clinics plus coaching and umpiring workshops will also be a part of the festival.It is hoped Bamawm-raised netball superstar Sharelle Mcmahon will be involved with the weekend, after she recently announced she is pregnant and will miss the Vixens’ 2012 season.Netball Victoria general manager commercial operations Nicole Roache said the festival will be an excellent opportunity to promote central Victorian netball.“It’s about getting behind and showcasing the girls up here, to showcase the talent up here to broader audiences,” Roache said.Pushing for a VNL side in Bendigo is high on the agenda of the netball administrators in the region and – although the next licence for a team won’t be issued before next year – the Netball Festival is seen as an opportunity to impress Netball Victoria.Roache said central Victoria is a priority area for Netball Victoria, but maintaining the strength of the VNL is important before any expansion takes place.Bendigo’s capacity to host big netball events will be on show for the weekend and Bendigo Football Netball League executive chair Melissa Ryan hopes the local community will get behind the festival.Meanwhile, the Victorian boy’s under-17 state netball team will visit Bendigo this weekend as they prepare for the national titles at Easter.The team, which features Bendigo’s Jayden Cowling, will play an exhibition match versus Kangaroo Flat’s Regional State League team at Flora Hill Stadium at 4.30pm this Sunday.