A squad was named yesterday to play in the women's national provincial championship which kicks off on August 23.
There are nine teams in the competition this season, Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay joining while Taranaki drops out.
Hawkes Bay had previously played in the competition but missed last year while Bay of Plenty is a new addition.
The competition at one stage had only six teams so it is good for the women's game to see increasing numbers.
Last year's coach, Marty Gray, has moved to the Otago development team and the new coach for the Spirit is University A coach John Hyde.
He will be assisted by Rahul Das and Marius Mostert.
The side has come together after the club season and will not have much time to get organised.
It will play Canterbury in a warm-up match in Temuka on Saturday before the competition kicks off the following weekend.
Hyde said although the team had lost some key players from last year there were still 17 players from last year's squad who had returned.
Gone from last year are captain and fullback Halie Hurring, midfield back Lucy Anderson and speedy loose forward Rebecca Scott.
Black Fern Kelly Brazier, who did not play for the team last year as she was recovering from injury, is in the Bay of Plenty, but is concentrating on sevens and will miss the national championship.
Whether this is good for the national game is another matter, but Otago has a ready back-up to Brazier in Black Fern Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali who is likely to play the pivot role for the side, once she gets back from the World Cup.
There is also experience in the shape of No 8 Angie Sisifa and centre Greer Muir.
Sisifa will captain the side and will be looking to have a big season.
Subritzky-Nafatali is vice-captain. Prop Pip Love received a taste of experience in the winter home tests and will be keen for another big season.
Hyde said the side had some experience in the forwards and pace out wide.
He wanted to bring some structure to the team and there were some young players who showed promise.
Young University prop Lydia Inglis had suffered a bad leg injury in the club final on Saturday and was taken to hospital.
Loose forward Leyhana van Vugt had injured her knee and would miss the season.
A wider training squad will be named to also train alongside the main squad.
The competition is played in a round-robin format with a straight final.
Otago will start the competition with away games against Bay of Plenty and Wellington before its first home match against Counties-Manukau on September 6.
Its other home matches are against Canterbury, Waikato and Manawatu, and the other away matches against Auckland and Hawkes Bay.
Otago lost just twice last season but failed to make the final.
Otago Spirit
The squad
Epe Elisara, Lucy Emery, Maddi Finch, Julia Gorinski, Sophie Kuper, Pip Love, Georgia Mason, Syreeta Norris, Angie Sisifa (captain), Michaela Smith, Courtney Sullivan, Rebecca Todd, Gemma Tuhega, Zoe Whatarua, Michaela Baker, Sheree Hume, Summer Koszti, Megan Manson, Kilisitina Moata'ane, Greer Muir, Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali, Kiera Pennell, Claire Richardson, Deirdre Roberts, Samarra Soper, Summer van Loenhout, Olivia Waldron, Georgia Williams.
