Brighton have celebrated their 50th anniversary with a commitment to youth.

They have pledged themselves to the Sussex Youth League that is scheduled to begin next month and provided three of 11 teams at a pre-season tournament at Falmer.

Coach Holly Salvage said: "It is fantastic that the club has been going for so long, but we want to ensure its long term growth by encouraging more youngsters to play to help us reach our century.

"That is why we are getting heavily involved in the new league which we hope will really take off and encourage other clubs to form sections for youngsters right across the county.

"We had an under-13s side and two under-15s at Falmer and they certainly enjoyed it.

"We set up a junior and youth sections to provide a feeder system so players stay in the game between school and senior netball. I am proof that the system is working because I am a product of the youth set up. I'm now playing with the adults and coaching."

League organisers are waiting to see if they will get backing from the Awards for All, an initiative to help women in sport.

County development officer Helen Willard said: "The league is an exciting project and we hope to have around 200 youngsters involved at under-13s and under-15s. The support of clubs like Brighton is vital to making it a success. We should know anytime from Awards For All so we can push ahead and try to fill the void for netball kids outside of school."

Willard would like the league to stand on its own two feet, saying: "We are trying to get youngsters to do umpiring courses so the league can become self-sufficient."

Mid Sussex (Burgess Hill) won the under-13s and Dominoes (Worthing) the under-15s at Falmer. West Park (Worthing), Chichester and Bognor also competed.