Trials are being held at the Edgar Centre today and tomorrow before coach Lauren Piebenga names a squad early next week.
The team will take part in the inaugural five-team national league, which will underpin the ANZ Championship.
Five teams - Northern, Central, Waikato-BOP, Mainland and South - will play a double round-robin, including 14 post-ANZ Championship games and seven stand-alone games.
The top two teams will contest the final in Auckland on June 26.
Netball South delayed holding trials until university students were in town, and Piebenga is hopeful of a good turnout today and tomorrow.
"It's always a little bit of an unknown in Dunedin in terms of students coming to the region for university,'' she said.
"But we've had a good number register from within the zone, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of the talent that we know we have already got, and the new talent coming in.
"It's going to be a pretty rigorous couple of days. They will certainly be put through their paces.''
Piebenga will name 10-12 players in her team, which will be based in Dunedin.
By national league rules, any ANZ Championship players that have played 24 or fewer quarters of netball in the transtasman league will also be eligible to play for the team.
That means midcourter Stacey Peeters (18 quarters) and goal shoot Brooke Leaver (12 quarters) are eligible.
Steel rookies Jamie Hume and Abby Erwood are also expected to get plenty of game time in the national league.
The national league team will train with the Steel when possible, and the two will play a pre-season match in Queenstown on March 12.
The team will also play a pre-season match against the Mainland national league team in Ashburton on March 5.
A couple of games against the Otago men's team are also planned.
Netball South has landed a favourable draw for the league, with six of its eight games scheduled to be played at home - four in Invercargill and two in Dunedin.
Its first regular-season match is against Northern in Invercargill on April 10.
"I'm really looking forward to being able to sink our teeth into it and getting the plan under way,'' Piebenga said.
"There has been plenty of meetings, plenty of paper planning. We have had pre-trial sessions here and a session in Invercargill just to get the girls used to getting out on the court again.''
As well as the trials, the Steel will train at the Edgar Centre today and tomorrow, while talent identification sessions for the region's under-15 and under-17 players will also be held.
More than 60 players have registered to attend the sessions in front of the watchful eye of New Zealand secondary schools coach Julie Seymour.
