Celtic Dragons and their Green Army supporters will make themselves heard in Cardiff on Saturday.
Dragons open their Vitality Superleague season with a match against Team Bath at Sports Centre Wales (4pm).
These teams met in the Superleague Grand Final in 2013 when Bath edged it 62-56 to be crowned champions. That was their fifth title, having also lifted the trophy in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Centre-court player Bethan Dyke, starting her fifth season of Dragons netball, says: “I truly believe we have the best fans in the Superleague and look forward to their continued support.
“With a fresh line up opposition I anticipate one of the most exciting and competitive seasons to date. I can’t wait to get started.”
There are 10 teams in Superleague and their nine home fixtures are all being played at Sport Wales Centre, Cardiff and captain Suzy Drane insists Dragons fans have the passion and loyalty to lift their team.
“They are amazing,” says Drane, who has joined Dragons for a 12th season. “We have worked really hard to bring our best performance yet.
“Looking forward to getting back out on court and seeing all our Green Army fans soon.”
The Dragons have been training hard with expert guidance for strength and conditioning, nutrition, psychology, and of course on court training led by head coach Trish Wilcox.
Dragons have signed New Zealand star Stacey Peeters, a centre court player who is expected to make a big impact in Superleague.
Peeters, 24, played for ANZ Championship league team Ascot Park Southern Steel for three years before moving to Dragons.
“I have been really impressed with the set up at Dragons and in what they want to achieve on and off the court,” says Peeters, who played for New Zealand’s under-21 team when they won the World Youth Netball Cup in Glasgow, Scotland in 2013.
“I am also really looking forward to mixing with the best players in the UK and helping the Dragons be a competitive force in Superleague.”
Peeters is originally from a dairy farm on the outskirts of Gore, a rural town in New Zealand and was head girl at St Peters College.
She progressed with her studies by moving to Dunedin where she successfully balanced her studies with representative netball. Peeters played semi-professional netball and also graduated in with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in 2014.
“Stacey has exceptional netball skills,” said Dragons coach Trish Wilcox. “With the wealth of experience she has gained playing in the ANZ competition she will contribute significantly for Celtic Dragons.”
Dragons have committed to play Superleague netball for the next four years. They are the only Welsh team in a competition which starts with the opening fixtures this weekend and finished in June with the national finals weekend.
Kiwi Peeters joins Suzy Drane, Kelly Morgan, Kyra Jones, Sara Bell, Bethan Dyke, Fern Davies, Lydia Hitchings, Leila Thomas, and Eleanor Roberts from Wales plus Trinidad and Tobago shooter Kalifa McCollin has also been signed to the Dragons along with English defender Lois Rideout.
“This opportunity is what I’ve always dreamed about,” said McCollin, a 21-year-old shooter who represented Trinidad & Tobago at the 2015 World Cup and made her international debut aged 17.
“Netball is my passion and getting the chance to show my skill at this level of competition is all I could ever ask for.
“Celtic Dragons colours also remind me of my home team, as well, so I’m most looking forward to wearing their colour.”
Kyra Jones is one of the most experienced Celtic Dragons players, stamping her authority on the centre bib since returning from a stint with Team Bath.
Jones was brought up in Perth, Western Australia and was named the best player in the West Australian Netball League in 2006 when she was playing for Perth Orioles.
When she came over to play in the Superleague in 2009, Jones was known as Kyra Neal, but soon after her arrival in Wales she met Welshman Scott Jones and they married.
After settling in the UK, it was only a short period of time before she made her international debut for Wales and her first cap came against Northern Ireland in 2012 at Netball Europe. Jones was voted Welsh Netball player of the year in 2012.
Dragons fans have already had a big taste of top class netball thanks to the Wakes v New Zealand double header played at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay earlier this month, Those two fixtures both attracted an attendance close to the 3,000 capacity at the IAW.
Celtic Dragons 2017
Vitality Netball Superleague
February
All home matches played at Sport Wales Centre, Cardiff. Home teams named first in each fixture.
Saturday 18: Dragons v Team Bath (4pm)
Saturday 25: Sirens, Scotland v Dragons (2pm)
March
Friday 3: Severn Stars v Dragons (7.30pm)
Saturday 11: Manchester Thunder v Dragons (5pm)
Saturday 18: Herts Mavericks v Dragons (3.30pm)
Saturday 25: Surrey Storm v Dragons (7pm)
April
Monday 3: Dragons v Loughborough Lightning (7.45pm)
Friday 7 : Wasps v Dragons (8pm)
Monday 10: Dragons v Sirens, Scotland (7.45pm, live on Sky)
Monday 17: Dragons v Severn Stars (7pm)
Saturday 22: Team Bath v Dragons (5pm)
Saturday 29: Dragons v Manchester Thunder (4pm)
May
Monday 1: Dragons v Herts Mavericks (4pm)
Friday 5: Team Northumbria v Dragons (7.45pm)
Monday 15: Dragons v Surrey Storm (7pm)
Saturday 20: Loughborough Lightning v Dragons (6pm)
Sunday 27: Dragons v Wasps (4pm)
June
Saturday 3: Dragons v Team Northumbria (4pm)
Saturday 10: Play-offs semi-finals
Sunday 11: Play-offs final