Cardiff Dragons (netball)
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Cardiff Dragons are a Welsh netball team based in
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
. Their senior team plays in the
Netball Superleague The Netball Super League is an elite netball league in the United Kingdom. The league is organised by England Netball but features teams based in Netball in England, England, Netball in Wales, Wales and previously Netball in Scotland, Scotland. ...
. In 2005–06 they were founder members of the league. Their best performance in the Superleague came in
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
when they finished as runners up to
Team Bath Team Bath is the University of Bath's sporting organisation. In addition to entering teams in BUCS intervarsity competitions, Team Bath has also entered teams in national leagues and competitions. Team Bath F.C. reached the first round proper o ...
. Playing as Celtic Flames, Dragons also played in the 2017
Netball New Zealand Super Club The Netball New Zealand Super Club was a netball tournament organised by Netball New Zealand. It featured teams from the ANZ Premiership as well as invited overseas teams, including teams from Australia, Great Britain, South Africa and Singapor ...
. Cardiff Dragons main partners include the
Welsh Netball Association Wales Netball (), formally registered as the Wales Netball Association (), is the national governing body for netball in Wales and was founded in 1945. Wales Netball is responsible for national championships, Wales national netball team selecti ...
, the
Wales national netball team The Welsh National Netball Team, also known as the Welsh Feathers, represents Wales in international netball competition. The Welsh Netball Association (), the governing body for netball in Wales, is responsible for Welsh squad selection, intern ...
and
Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff Metropolitan University () is a public university located in Cardiff, Wales. Formerly known as the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC; , ) which was established in 1996. The university offers degree courses in a variety of d ...
. The team changed its name from Celtic Dragons to Cardiff Dragons on 31 August 2023 in preparation for the 2024 season.


History


Netball Superleague

Celtic Dragons were formed in
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
and were named as the
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
franchise in the new
Netball Superleague The Netball Super League is an elite netball league in the United Kingdom. The league is organised by England Netball but features teams based in Netball in England, England, Netball in Wales, Wales and previously Netball in Scotland, Scotland. ...
. Together with
Brunel Hurricanes Surrey Storm was an English netball team based at the University of Surrey. Their senior team played in the Netball Super League between 2005 and 2024. Between 2001 and 2005 they played in the Super Cup as London Hurricanes. After forming a p ...
,
Galleria Mavericks London Mavericks is an English netball team based at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield. Their senior team plays in the Netball Super League where they were a founding member in 2005–06. They are two time Super League champions i ...
,
Leeds Carnegie Leeds Carnegie was a brand name used by several sports teams associated with the Carnegie School of Physical Education, now part of Leeds Beckett University Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LM ...
,
Loughborough Lightning Loughborough Lightning may refer to one of three women's sports teams based at Loughborough University: * Loughborough Lightning (netball) * Loughborough Lightning (cricket) * Loughborough Lightning (rugby union) {{disambiguation ...
, Northern Thunder,
Team Bath Team Bath is the University of Bath's sporting organisation. In addition to entering teams in BUCS intervarsity competitions, Team Bath has also entered teams in national leagues and competitions. Team Bath F.C. reached the first round proper o ...
and Team Northumbria, Dragons were founder members of the league. Their best performance in the Superleague came in
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
when they finished as runners up to
Team Bath Team Bath is the University of Bath's sporting organisation. In addition to entering teams in BUCS intervarsity competitions, Team Bath has also entered teams in national leagues and competitions. Team Bath F.C. reached the first round proper o ...
.


Celtic Flames

Playing as Celtic Flames, Celtic Dragons played in the
2017 Netball New Zealand Super Club The 2017 Netball New Zealand Super Club was the inaugural Netball New Zealand Super Club tournament. With a team coached by Reinga Bloxham, captained by Wendy Frew and featuring Gina Crampton, Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, Shannon Francois, and Jane W ...
. The Celtic Flames squad featured past and present Dragons players, including Chelsea Lewis and
Nia Jones Nia Jones (born 6 April 1992) is an athlete who has represented Wales internationally at both netball and football. She won the FAW Young Player of the Year Award in 2011. She was nominated for the SportingWales Magazine and UWIC Rising Star Awa ...
, and two guest players, Anna Thompson and
Temalisi Fakahokotau Temalisi Fakahokotau (born 9 September 1994) is a New Zealand netball player of Tongan descent. She first played for the national team in 2014. Early life Fakahokotau was born in New Zealand of Tongan parents on 9 September 1994. She is one of ...
of
Mainland Tactix Mainland Tactix are a New Zealand netball team based in Christchurch, Canterbury. Between 1998 and 2007, as Canterbury Flames, they played in the Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup league. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Champions ...
. Both were also New Zealand internationals. Flames finished in fifth place, ahead of all other invited international teams outside
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.


Wales

Cardiff Dragons work in partnership with both the
Welsh Netball Association Wales Netball (), formally registered as the Wales Netball Association (), is the national governing body for netball in Wales and was founded in 1945. Wales Netball is responsible for national championships, Wales national netball team selecti ...
and the
Wales national netball team The Welsh National Netball Team, also known as the Welsh Feathers, represents Wales in international netball competition. The Welsh Netball Association (), the governing body for netball in Wales, is responsible for Welsh squad selection, intern ...
. Melissa Hyndman, Trish Wilcox and Julie Hoornweg all served as joint head coach of both Dragons and Wales. At the
2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
eleven of the squad were Dragons players and the twelfth, Chelsea Lewis was a former player.


Senior finals


Netball Superleague Grand Finals


Home venue

Dragons' current home venue is the Cardiff City House of Sport, located adjacent to the
Cardiff City Stadium The Cardiff City Stadium () is a stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City F.C., Cardiff City and the Wales national football team, Wales national team. Following expansion of the Ninian S ...
, having moved to the 1100-seat venue in 2022. Until 2022 Dragons played the majority of their home
Netball Superleague The Netball Super League is an elite netball league in the United Kingdom. The league is organised by England Netball but features teams based in Netball in England, England, Netball in Wales, Wales and previously Netball in Scotland, Scotland. ...
games at
Sport Wales National Centre The Sport Wales National Centre () is a sports facility in Cardiff, Wales, set up to assist the development of elite athletes in Wales. The Centre, owned and operated by Sport Wales, was established by the then Sports Council for Wales in 1971 ...
in
Sophia Gardens Sophia Gardens ( ; ) is a public park in Riverside, Cardiff, Wales, on the west bank of the River Taff. International test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestig ...
. They also train and play some home games at
Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff Metropolitan University () is a public university located in Cardiff, Wales. Formerly known as the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC; , ) which was established in 1996. The university offers degree courses in a variety of d ...
. They have also occasionally played home games at
Wrexham Glyndŵr University Wrexham University (; ) is a public university in the north-east of Wales, with campuses in Wrexham, Northop and St Asaph. It offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as professional courses. The university had students in ...
and at
Cwmbran Stadium Cwmbran Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium and sports complex in Cwmbran, Wales. The stadium holds 10,500 people and the main outdoor arena consists of an athletics track surrounding a 4g football pitch. It is the home ground of Cwmbran Town F. ...
.


Notable players


2025 squad


Internationals

; *
Nia Jones Nia Jones (born 6 April 1992) is an athlete who has represented Wales internationally at both netball and football. She won the FAW Young Player of the Year Award in 2011. She was nominated for the SportingWales Magazine and UWIC Rising Star Awa ...
* Chelsea Lewis * Nicola Lewis * Anna Mayes ; *
Rachel Dunn Rachel Margaret Dunn (born 14 November 1982) is an English former international netball player who was a member of the England teams that won bronze medals at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games and who has over 250 Netball Super League appea ...
* Lindsay Keable ; * Adi Bolakoro * Episake Kahatoka *
Afa Rusivakula Unouna Afa Rusivakula (born 22 June 1992) is a Fijian netball player. Rusivakula began playing in Fiji with the Shine On team in the Lautoka Netball Association. She made her international Test debut for Fiji in the 2011 Pacific Netball Series ...
; *
Rebekah Robinson Rebekah Robinson (born 23 January 1995) is a Jamaican netball player. She was part of the Jamaican squad that won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also k ...


Head coaches


Honours

*
Netball Superleague The Netball Super League is an elite netball league in the United Kingdom. The league is organised by England Netball but features teams based in Netball in England, England, Netball in Wales, Wales and previously Netball in Scotland, Scotland. ...
** ''Runners Up'':
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
: 1


References


External links


Celtic Dragons on Facebook

Celtic Dragons on Twitter
{{Sport in Cardiff Netball teams in Wales Netball Superleague teams Sport in Cardiff
Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...
2005 establishments in Wales Sports clubs and teams established in 2005