The two-day tournament, which will also feature Ruby North franchises North Queensland United and Far North Flames as well as Sharon Finnan-White’s First Nations Academy of Excellence Townsville Premier League team, has been initiated and funded by HART Premier Netball League newcomers Moreton Bay Pulse.
The Pulse is sending its Ruby, Emerald and Development teams to the event in a key tune-up before their HART Premier Netball League debut in June.
Their Ruby team will take on Fiji, North Queensland United, the Flames and the FNAE Townsville Premier League team in the main division.
The Pulse's Emerald and Development teams will compete alongside each other in the development division, taking on North Queensland United's development squad and a Townsville Premier League Invitational team.
The event gives the Ruby North franchises a chance to get on court before the inaugural round of that competition is held in Rockhampton in May.
For the Baby Pearls, accepting the invitation from the Pulse to be part of the tournament, looms as a key step in the Pacific Island nation's preparations for the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar this September.
Fiji’s 15-strong squad includes 12 locally based players and three internationals including Queensland-based Solei Tonganivalu, with the Australian Government's PacficAus Sports program providing support for the team to take part in the event.
"The tournament provides an important opportunity in our program to provide international exposure to our local athletes," said Fiji U-21 coach and Queensland Firebird No. 43 Simone Nalatu.
"This will come on court of course, but also in travelling to Australia and playing away from home. All of this experience is important for our local players, many whom haven't travelled much, if at all.
“We are thankful to Netball Fiji and their Executive Committee for working really hard to make this happen. Netball is already big in Fiji and throughout the Pacific, but opportunities like this are crucial to ensure we’re not left behind as world netball continues to grow.”
The Northern Pre-Season Challenge will be held at Townsville Stadium on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 April.
