'Our aim is to be competitive': Inaugural Capital Spirit coach Kate Carpenter sets sights on NSW Premier League

Carpenter arrived in Canberra for her first glimpse of Netball ACT and the Academy of Sport's facilities and programs last week, as she prepares to form the capital's first Premier League side.

But the New Zealand native is no stranger to a blank canvas.

Carpenter was the inaugural coach of New Zealand franchise Central Pulse and has also held national coaching positions with Fiji and Singapore.

Her appointment with the Spirit is her first time working in the Australian system and so far she's been impressed with the foundations laid for the Premier League program.

"It's a nice challenge. This is a new program so that's always quite fun to be part of because you're there from the start with a new group and new expectations," Carpenter said.

"There's really good resources around the program which, from my experiences, comes from professional groups. The players are so lucky they're resourced well.

"[The Premier League program] was attractive and a nice length between some of the programs already in place with Netball ACT.

"It was probably the missing part and athletes always step up when there's another level of competition. There's work to be done but there's also talent to work with."

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Carpenter had her first glimpse of her potential premier league players when Netball ACT held their solitary trial phase on Saturday.

Netball ACT received 40 nominations across the two Premier League sides, with the open and under-23 hopefuls trialling together.

There is no limit on how many interstate players can be picked for squads but most nominations came from Canberra-based athletes.

"There were some big decisions being made around where the athletes sit," Carpenter said.

"We had athletes from Canberra but also from the regions, which is great because our playing pool extends over a long distance.

"Being my first time looking, everyone was new for me which is good because I get to look at them with fresh eyes.

"There were some nice looking athletes who I'm thinking will find the transition easy and some have played in this environment before.

"I think it's really important because you can then build the team around the ones who are more experienced and knowledgeable - maybe also some girls who have played in the Australian Netball League or even higher again."

Officials will announce both playing squads within the next two weeks, with selected athletes expected to complete a home fitness program until their first training session on January 13.

Netball ACT has a two year licence to join the Premier League, joining eight existing teams and another expansion franchise from the South Coast.

Carpenter aims to be competitive in their inaugural season and says newly-formed teams tend to develop faster compared to existing sides.

"There's a new group, new expectations and new combinations but you tend to find the team really develops across the season quite quickly compared to others," Carpenter said.

"Maybe at the start of the season it'll be like 'OK, that's the standard'. But you tend to build faster because it's all new - you make big jumps and big gains.

"Certainly, in the first year, there'll be lots of things where we think 'can we do that better'? Or 'does that work well'? That's always part of setting something up for the first time.

"I think everything is in place for next year and there's exciting times ahead."

Netball ACT is also expected to launch its Australian Netball League franchise in the coming weeks but is yet to confirm its coach for the 2020 season.