Netball Super League | Flying the Saltire: Strathclyde Sirens’ time in the NSL

On 21 February 2017, a 12-year-old Cerys Finn watched Strathclyde Sirens’ first-ever Netball Super League fixture at a sold-out Emirates Arena.

She sat in the stands waving a Saltire as Sirens led Tamsin Greenway’s Wasps side 13-12 in the first quarter, with Carla Borrego a standout in the circle.

The new Scottish kids on the block eventually succumbed to a 57-43 defeat at the hands of that season’s eventual champions but the undercurrents of that clash were seismic.

Seven years later, the young girl with the Saltire was at goalkeeper for the team’s final fixture as a history-making chapter closed on the Glasgow-based outfit.

This is the immeasurable impact the club have had on netball within Scotland and beyond during their eight Super League seasons.

Two generations of Sirens: Cerys Finn (L) and Emily Nicholl (R). Image: Ben Lumley

And even at the conclusion of this remarkable story for Sirens, their transformative footprint will be felt for years to come.

Sirens Netball was founded in 2016 by Netball Scotland and, two years later, the University of Strathclyde became a partner, coining the name they are known by today.

Someone who was there from start to finish was Emily Nicholl, with the defender going from an up-and-coming talent to captain in the team’s final season.

“Coming through from season one, I understand the full history of the club and to be the captain is so special,” she said.

“To look at the likes of Claire Maxwell who was the very first captain, I never thought I could follow in her footsteps so to lead has been a great honour.”

Emily Nicholl was one of the stalwarts of the Sirens franchise. Image: Getty Images

In her final campaign with her home team, Nicholl was named ‘Siren of the Season’ for the first time.

The award recognises a player’s commitment to the standards and ethos of Strathclyde Sirens and it is fitting that the award will stay with Nicholl.

The only other name to have been part of the first and last Sirens squads was Bethan Goodwin.

The 25-year-old shooter has matured into a dependable player for both Sirens and Scotland and was a key cog at the opposite end of the court to Nicholl, with both notching over 100 appearances for the team.

In the middle was the glue that kept Sirens together, Claire Maxwell, or as she was affectionately known by her maiden name, Brownie.

Scotland’s most capped player, Maxwell led Sirens to a respectable sixth-place finish on their maiden NSL outing in the 2017 season, delighting the rest of the league with their positive ethos and style of play.

Their first win came in what became known as the Celtic Clash, as they beat the LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons, then Celtic Dragons, with a dominant 73-36 victory.

Claire Maxwell was Sirens captain for many years. Image: Getty Images

Sirens’ home form was particularly impressive this season, recording back-to-back wins over eventual semi-finalists Team Bath, and Surrey Storm.

But Sirens’ impact in their debut year stretched far beyond the team’s on-court performances. The Scottish side entered the NSL with a desire to make waves both on and off the court and strove to set new standards when it came to building a bold and innovative netball brand.

By launching their Super League career with a celebrity netball match at the Emirates Arena, a spectacle that fans have come to enjoy from a number of NSL clubs in the years that followed, it was clear that Sirens were ready to make their mark in more ways than one.

Partnering with the University of the West of Scotland, Sirens became the UWS Sirens in the 2018 season. This was a season in which the team continued to build performances on the court, seeing them do the double over their Celtic rivals, Dragons, before ending the season with a narrow win over Saracens Mavericks.

Staying true to their commitment to push boundaries off the court, this season also saw the UWS Sirens shortlisted for the Women’s Sport Trust Sporting Role Model (Team) Award, important recognition for the team’s work to build visibility and create impact in the wider women’s sport sphere.

The following season saw the arrival of a former Scottish Thistle as head coach as Lesley McDonald took over, but she wasn’t the only impressive signing ahead of the 2019 season.

As the months counted down to the first 2019 NSL game, the name on everybody’s lips was that of Cat Tuivaiti, the former Silver Fern and Samoan international player who needs no introduction.

Tuivaiti was brought to the NSL by the newly renamed Strathclyde Sirens for the 2019 season, a bold signing that signified Sirens’ determination to develop their young squad on the court and get fans talking on the sidelines. Tuivaiti’s flair and creativity delighted fans of all clubs alike, and powered Sirens through some testing matches in what was a hotly contested season.

2021 marked a real turning point for the club, as they equalled their sixth-place finish from their debut season in a remarkably strong year which saw them finish just four points off the semi-final spots. In a season that saw netball go behind closed doors in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sirens were able to grow their fanbase through their electric on-court performances which consistently challenged the top teams in the League, becoming fondly know as ‘everybody’s second favourite team’.

Coupled with this on-court success was the launch of Sirens’ ‘Headlines not Sidelines’ campaign which sought to empower young women in Scotland through the increased visibility of women’s sport and positioned the Sirens squad as powerful female role models. The growing excitement around the club was signified with the announcements of a number of big-name sponsors, such as Iron Bru and Capital Scotland bringing further visibility to the already growing Sirens brand.

2022 saw the welcome return of fans to the NSL and Sirens’ electric match day experiences returned bigger and better than ever. The team moved down to eighth in the table in 2022, and remained there in 2023, with a 52-52 draw game against Leeds Rhinos helping them to 13 points in the latter campaign. Despite some challenging results on court, the Sirens tribe never failed to show up and support their team with real passion and heart.

Bethan Goodwin played in both the first and last Sirens squads. Image: Ben Lumley

Sirens took time to build in what would turn out to be their final season, their first point coming in a 54-54 draw with the LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons in Round 11 before a win over Team Bath marked a special final victory.

When it came to Sirens’ final match against Surrey Storm in June, their trademark support was out in full force.

Flags were flown by generations who have all benefitted from a slice of Strathclyde Sirens on and off the court over eight special seasons.

A narrow 58-52 defeat to Storm did not dim any noise as the netball trailblazers hung their dresses up for the final time and held their heads high.

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