Bendigo Strikers president Melinda Keighran had every right to feel emotional on Sunday afternoon.
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Keighran was one of many Bendigo netball fanatics who put years of blood, sweat and tears into forming a Victorian Netball League team in Bendigo.
The countless knockbacks were worth it as the Strikers played their first home game in front of 1200 adoring fans.
"It's been nearly nine years in the making,'' Keighran said.
"It was significant for us to have everyone who has been part of the process here at the game.
"To see so many people here decked out in their Strikers gear was huge. It was great to see so many people from different areas here as well. We had 45 people come across Tongala and 28 come down from Pyramid Hill to watch the girls.
"It was a special day for the club and for Bendigo netball."
The next step for the Strikers is building momentum off Sunday's successful day.
The club has two more home games this season and it will ask Netball Victoria for more than three home games in 2025.
Keighran hoped the off-court support the Strikers have garnered will benefit their on-court group.
"The crowd was amazing. Even for the Boroondara girls it was a great experience,'' she said.
"For the Bendigo homegrown girls Ruby (Barkmeyer) and Sophie (Shoebridge) to play here (for Boroondara) in front of their home crowd was fantastic.
"You don't get crowds like this in Melbourne. We can't thank the crowd enough for the support."
Strikers' championship coach Tracey Brereton echoed Keighran's thoughts.
"I hope this makes people want to come to Bendigo to play,'' Brereton said.
"There's a few (central Victorian) girls out there that are playing VNL that we couldn't quite get back to play with us this year.
"If they can see what we have here - they don't get that at their VNL games.
"We need to keep playing good netball and, hopefully, attract a few players to add to our great list."
The Strikers, who have a 2-5 record and sit in ninth place on the ladder, are back on court in Melbourne on Wednesday night when they face the seventh-placed Melbourne University.
Strikers' wing defence/goal attack Heather Oliver said the best was yet to come from the group.
"We're still trying to find that consistency over four quarters,'' she said.
"We've had our two really good quarters and then a bit of a lapse and in those lapses we've given up five or six goals.
"We're competitive with all the teams and we have some really great players from Bendigo and regional Victoria on our team. It's a matter of building from this."
The club's next home game is on Sunday, May 19 against Geelong.
