The Steel will make its first venture to Canberra next year in the ANZ Championship.
The draw for next year's competition was released yesterday and shows the Steel will play two matches in Dunedin, the same as this season, and will play the other five home games in the new Stadium Southland in Invercargill.
The competition begins on March 1, three weeks earlier than usual with an early finish scheduled so national teams can get organised for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The two games in Dunedin are well spread out.
On March 22, the Steel will take on the Perth-based West Coast Fever in the city and will return to face the Tactix on May 25, which will be its penultimate game in the competition, if it does not make the playoffs.
The Steel starts with a tough match first up against the Firebirds, which made the final last season. It then faces the Pulse and the Magic away before making its first trip to Dunedin.
The team has to travel to Australia just twice, to Canberra and to take on the defending champion Thunderbirds in Adelaide.
The match in Canberra, against the Swifts, is the first ANZ Championship game to be played in the Australian capital, and will be played on Anzac Day.
Steel chief executive Sue Clarke said the trip to Canberra would be tricky as the team had a game in Christchurch on Monday night and then in Canberra the next Friday. The side may have to opt to leave for Canberra straight from Christchurch, and not return home.
She was happy with the draw and said five games would be played in Invercargill to take advantage of the new Stadium Southland.
Steel draw
ANZ Championship
March 2: v Firebirds, Invercargill
March 8: v Pulse, Wellington
March 17: v Magic, Hamilton
March 22: v Fever, Dunedin
March 30: v Thunderbirds, Adelaide
April 6: v Mystics, Invercargill
April 14: v Pulse, Invercargill
April 21: v Tactix, Christchurch
April 25: v Swifts, Canberra
May 4: v Mystics, Auckland
May 12: v Magic, Invercargill
May 25: v Tactix, Dunedin
May 31: v Vixens, Invercargill
