Tickets: Adults £5 Children (U16) £3
Available from: Welsh Netball, 33 - 35 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9HB
Telephone: 02920 237048
Email: welshnetball@welshnetball.com

Celtic Dragons enter headlong into their new season 2006/2007 Netball Superleague competition starting 25 November at the Welsh Institute of Sport.

This year the on-court skills and off-court successes will be on show to its largest audience to date as a total of 17 league matches are set to be broadcast on the Sky Sports channels in a landmark deal struck between the global media giant and England Netball.

Chief Executive of Welsh Netball, Sue Holvey sees the deal as an important step forward for the sport:

“Regular week-in week-out netball on a main sports channel will take the sport directly into the homes of netball enthusiasts which they have all craved for a very long time but it will also expose a mass audience of non netball players to our fast and exciting game and profile our star players.

“Netball is a great spectator sport. It is viewed regularly all over the world and now is the time for the UK to see the speed, agility and athleticism of our players.

“I hope that Welsh audiences will come along and support the home matches as well as watch them on TV.”

The tournament – which is spread over seven months of gruelling competition - promises to deliver top-class competitive action, with Commonwealth Games squad players from both Wales and England playing in the eight franchise teams, spectators are guaranteed dynamic and exciting play.

The Celtic Dragons face an opening tie at home to Northern Thunder (North West England) on Saturday 25th of November – a contest which will also mark the coaching debut of the squad’s new Head Coach, Jess Garland.

Although better known for her tenure in the England netball team, Jess herself is no stranger to Wales with a father living in Newport.

Her long list of netballing credentials has seen her placed in high esteem among her new squad of players. With performances at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, the World Youth Championships and no less than seven European campaigns under her belt, Garland’s CV speaks for itself.

She also played an integral part in Team Bath’s winning Superleague campaign in 2005/2006 and so it seems that the Dragons’ aspirations are in good hands.

NAME	Interesting information
Jamilla Abbott	Played in 2000 World Youth Cup, European Open 2002/03/04/05, 2002 & 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2003 World Championships
Sophie Baxter	Played in U21 V South Africa, U21 European Championships 2005, Commonwealth Games 2006
Jo Blanks	Previous Wales Captain Played in Europeans from 1999 onwards, World Championships 1999 & 2003. Commonwealth Games 2002
Emma Bliss	Local Club – Linden County - Worcestershire
Shenaide Blucher	Local Club - UWIC
Sian Carrington	Played in Wales U21 World Youth Netball Championships 2005; Europeans 2006
Suzanne Drane	Played in Wales U21, U19 & U17, World Youth Netball Championships 2005. Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games
Claire Elsley	England international player
Sara Hale	Played in 2002 / 2006 Commonwealth Games, European Open 2003/04/05, 2003 World Championships
Anna Joll	Playing and teaching in Gloucester
Anna Mayes	Played in 2002 / 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2003 World Championships, Europeans 2003/04/05
Rochelle Modeste	Local Club – UWIC
Bianca Modeste	Older sister of Rochelle, Local Club – Toucans
Chrissie Munro	Local Club - Toucans
Ffion Roach	Originally from North Wales, now living in RCT
Amanda Trounce	Played in World Youth Netball Championships 2005 Wales U21, Europeans 2006, now studying at University in Bath