FOR the first time in history, a full delegation of netballers from Lake Macquarie has been selected to compete at the International Youth Sports Challenge in Singapore.
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Lakeside Netball Association's under-15 first division team will head overseas in November to compete against teams from New Zealand, Thailand, South Africa, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore.
The 10-day annual event will be held at the state-of-the-art Singapore Sports School.
Lakeside coach Desley Cowen took a Hunter team, dominated by players from Newcastle and Maitland, to Singapore in 2012.
Cowen's team was the first Australian team to take out the title.
This year Cowen was asked again to travel to Singapore, but this time she was allowed to choose her team.
"Straight away I knew I would take my under-15s," Cowen said.
"They're a great bunch of girls and are so talented, not just at netball."
The team has a diverse sporting background, with several athletes, swimmers, touch footballers and surf lifesavers who have represented NSW and Australia.
However, Singapore will be their first international sporting experience.
For all 11 girls, it will be their first and last shot at the challenge, which is limited to athletes aged 15 and under.
With three years of coaching the girls under her belt, Cowen said she was sure her team could win.
