Celtic Flames, a brand new netball Super Club team from Wales, are on their way to New Zealand.
While the British Lions are battling with the All Blacks in a rugby union battle, Flames are Welsh representatives in a tournament featuring some of the best club netball teams in the World.
They will represent the northern hemisphere at the International Super Club competition in Nelson between Sunday, July 2 and Friday, July 7.
Flames are among eight teams competing in Nelson where the Trafalgar Centre venue has been described as ‘World class’. The tournament will comprise 20 matches over five days with one day set aside for teams to engage with the local community.
Defender Kelly Morgan, who plays for Welsh Superleague team Celtic Dragons, is in the Flames party and says: “Playing in the Super Club competition is a huge opportunity.
“We are honoured to be the only Northern Hemisphere team invited to play.”
Wales international Morgan, from Bridgend, is a researcher in public health, having graduated with a doctorate in 2015. The tall goal-keeper or goal-defence plays for Dragons and Wales.
The players have been drawn from the Dragons and Wales teams which means the group already has strong bonds.
“That will be one of the strengths of our team,” says Morgan. “It’s an opportunity to strengthen those bonds together.
“We’ve all been following individual training programmes coming off the back of a long Superleague season. We have a week in New Zealand before the Super Club event starts and it will be fantastic to see the new arena in Nelson.”
The eight teams competing are Southern Steel, Central Pulse, Northern Mystics (all New Zealand), New South Wales Institute of Sport (Australia), Gauteng Jaguars (South Africa), Celtic Flames (Wales), University of Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago) and Marama Vou (Fiji).
The three group matches for Flames are on Sunday, July 2 v Te Wananga o Raukawa Central Pulse (2pm local time, 1am BST); Monday, July 3 v Marama Vou (4.50pm local time, 3.50am BST); Wednesday, July 5 v SkyCity Mystics (6.40pm local time, 5.40am BST).
The team name, ‘Celtic Flames’ was chosen by the team members after a lot of discussion on how they would like to identify themselves during the competition. MizunoNetball are the team kit sponsors.
“I am looking forward to working with the Celtic Flames – a team with a mix of players with Super League and International experience,” says Head Coach Trish Wilcox.
“We are very excited to be a part of this inaugural Super Club competition and competing against International club teams with such a variety of playing styles.
“This is an amazing opportunity for our players to challenge themselves against some of the best club and international players in the world.”
The Super Club event will be held at the 1,662-seat capacity Trafalgar Centre and all games will be broadcast live on SKY Sport 4. This competition will also be played in 2018 and 2019.
Netball NZ website: http://bit.ly/2rvulsT
Keep up to date on the Celtic Flames via the Welsh Netball website (welshnetball.co.uk), on Twitter @thecelticflames and Instagram @celticflames.
Celtic Flames squad: Suzy Drane (supported by MSG Tours), Bethan Dyke (supported by Torfaen Leisure Trust), Clare Jones (supported by TPHS Limited), Kyra Jones (supported by Glamorgan Telecom), Nia Jones (supported by Chester Chain), Chelsea Lewis (supported by Islwyn Pugh Construction/GW Flooring Contract Services), Kelly Morgan (supported by Andy Lamb Media), Lois Rideout (supported by Balance Fitness), Eleanor Roberts (supported by Fostering Matters), Georgia Rowe (supported by Miller Medical Supplies).
Flames management team includes head coach Trish Wilcox (supported by Pro Steel Engineering), assistant coach Mel Tuckwell (supported by USW Sport) and team manager Donna Crossman (supported by Falconry Services Ltd).