BENDIGO Spirit will play one less home game at Bendigo Stadium this season.
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It follows an agreement between the Spirit, WNBL and Ballarat Basketball to play its round eight match against defending champions Canberra Capitals on December 6 at Ballarat.
The change in fixture continues the Spirit's push to establish themselves as the team for all regional Victorians.
"This has been evident by already playing pre-season games in Sunbury, Echuca and Traralgon," Bendigo Stadium CEO Nathan O'Neill said.
"Basketball Victoria Country has 106 associations and playing a regular WNBL season game in Ballarat is a major step forward in expanding women's elite sport."
The clash will be a homecoming of sorts for second-year Spirit star Abbey Wehrung, who was born in Daylesford, but represented Ballarat as a junior.
"Given I've played my juniors here and it's kind of a home to me, it will be really exciting if we can get everyone out to support and promote Women in sport at the same time," Wehrung said.
"Its a crossing of my pathways in a way, playing juniors here in Ballarat and then heading up to Canberra and spending four years and now this is my second season with Bendigo.
"It is really special and I'm really excited."
Asked how this game will help inspire the youth in the region, Wehrung said: "The Bendigo Spirit and the Geelong Supercats in the AFL, are the only regional teams in Victoria.
"It's huge to bring a game here to Ballarat, for little girls and little boys to look up to us and see that they can go through the Ballarat pathways and make it."
Ballarat Basketball CEO Peter Eddy was thrilled to secure a WNBL game at the city's newly redeveloped sports and entertainment centre.
The Spirit open their 2019-20 season campaign this Saturday night in Bendigo against the Melbourne Boomers, and will play five of nine matches before the Ballarat game at Bendigo Stadium.
Meanwhile, three of the Spirit's regular season matches televised live on Fox Sports this season.
They are the round two clash against Perth Lynx on October 20 at Bendigo Stadium, round four clash against Southside Flyers on November 3 at Dandenong, and round five match against Adelaide Lightning on November 9.
All other Spirit games will be live-streamed via the new service available on the WNBL website.
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