Netball Super League | Pride: How netball has shaped Dixon and Magee’s relationship

The congratulation cards are still up in Rhea Dixon and Shelly Magee’s house with the honeymoon period in full swing.

The pair spent the final weekend before the Netball Super League season began getting engaged and are still in a bubble of bliss.

Netball has been a key part of their relationship, the two actually first met in 2015 at Netball Europe with Dixon playing for England and Magee for Northern Ireland.

Their proper introduction then came in 2020 as teammates and housemates while playing as training partners for Leeds Rhinos.

They still live in the city where Magee plays for Rhinos, but they are back to being opponents with Dixon now at Loughborough Lightning.

“I was just so scared, even though I knew she’d say yes,” Dixon said about popping the question. “It was just such a scary thing.

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“We went up to the Lake District for our last weekend before the season started and on that weekend, I made a plan.

“She knew it was coming because we talk about everything, so we’d spoken about getting engaged before, so she knew it was coming.

“I knew I had to be the one to do it because Shelly is too shy! She’d be even more scared than I was, so I just had to bite the bullet and do it, but I am obviously so happy I did.”

While Dixon says Magee is shy, the Northern Irish international is now out and proud after a childhood spent without any visible queer role models.

It was joining Loughborough Lightning that allowed her to feel fully at home in her identity.

“Back at home, you didn’t see queer athletes in the media, I had no positive influence,” said Magee.

“I didn’t see queer women who were athletes so I didn’t see anyone like me so I didn’t see being gay as a positive thing and I saw it as something that might cause me issues in the future.

“That was a massive worry for me, I was doing well in school and doing well in sport, I had a great family, I was happy, but I had this side to me that I didn’t know what that meant for me.

Dixon played for Leeds Rhinos before joining Loughborough Lightning, the team that Magee used to represent, in 2021.

“It is only then when you look at that you realise how important representation is.

“I remember coming over to Loughborough at the time and Sara Francis-Bayman was the head coach, and she was so celebrated at Loughborough and her relationship with Stacey was celebrated.

“I remember significantly noticing that because that wasn’t happening at home, at least in a netball space.

“I realised there were so many people like me in netball that have made it and done incredible things and that my sexuality is a part of me that is really good as well.

“I can still do everything I want to do and probably even more because I am even happier now, I am somewhere I can fully celebrate being fully myself.”

After a year in lockdown together, getting to know each other in the netball house they shared with Fi Toner, Britt Coleman and Donnell Wallam, their feelings developed into something deeper.

Each credits the other’s humour and positive attitude as what attracted them to each other and they now spend as much time together as possible, despite playing for different teams.

Magee and Dixon have faced off four times in the Netball Super League.

The pair often chip in to each other’s answers, but Dixon sits quietly as Magee delivers an impassioned speech on what more netball can do for the LGBTQ+ community.

For the Belfast native, representation and support was so crucial to her and she wants to pay it back.

“Something that is very important to me in the wider space and in netball is our dialogue and conversations around trans issues at the minute,” Magee explained.

“It does feel like there is a bit of an attack on the trans community at the minute and I think that while we can fly the flag and wear the rainbow laces you can’t really be an LGBTQ+ ally if you forget about the T.

“So all that conversation around the trans community and the media surrounding trans issues and lots of acts being passed at government level are really alarming.

“I would encourage everyone to get educated and look at their sources and find people championing trans voices.”

Dixon is in agreement as she recognises how important netball has been in her journey both as member of the LGBTQ+ community but also as a person.

June is Pride Month 🗓️

💬 Last year, @TashPavelin, @imoallison and @NPanagarry sat down to discuss their experiences as LGBTQ+ netballers.

Watch the full video on being your authentic self, having conversations all year round and more below 📼

— Netball Super League (@NetballSL) June 5, 2024

She said: “Netball has just been my whole life, it was all I ever wanted to do, it has brought me so much.

“Now after having a little injury at Rhinos, I have gone into studying and doing more research around netball in a business capacity and that’s where I want to go in the future.

“To be out and gay as a netballer is really important and looking at the people who have gone before us and are currently active in that community are so important.

“Without those people I think it would have been a lot less of a comfortable and exciting experience and could have been a bit more daunting so hopefully we can be those role models to younger or older people who want to come out.”

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