Leeds Rhinos step out for historic Vitality Superleague debut against Celtic Dragons

Leeds Rhinos open the 2021 Vitality Superleague season against the Celtic Dragons (5.15pm) in a biosecure bubble in Wakefield – Studio 001 – which will stage the first nine rounds of English netball’s domestic season.

It will be an historic occasion for netball in this region, a sport that saw its last standard-bearer in the elite, the Yorkshire Jets, removed from Superleague five years ago without sufficient reasoning to placate the large numbers who play the sport.

Those participation figures have only swelled since the England Roses won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2018, and the return of top-flight netball to these parts is long overdue.

Leeds Rhinos have been waiting nearly 18 months since they were granted a franchise into Superleague by England Netball for the 2021 campaign and beyond.

Benefitting from the professional infrastructure of the rugby league Rhinos, they have their own independent staff to help grow the game, the franchise and the fanbase, as well as provide young netballers of the county a pathway to an elite team.

They have appeal as well, attracting England Roses internationals of the vintage of Jade Clarke and promise of Vicky Oyesola, as well as players from the powerhouse league of Austalia and New Zealand.

Their head coach and director of netball is no stranger to that environment, Dan Ryan coming to England from Australia in August 2019 to help build the programme. He has as much invested in the project as anyone, so understands the importance of today and beyond.