Ex-rugby star Owens joins Cardiff Dragons board

Ken Owens won 91 caps for Wales and played more than 250 games for Scarlets

Former Wales rugby captain Ken Owens has joined the board of Netball Super League side Cardiff Dragons as a non-executive director.

The appointment comes a week after Dragons were confirmed as one of eight new professional franchises who will compete in a revamped competition next season.

The 37-year-old ex-Scarlets hooker retired in April after an 18-year career in which he won four Six Nations titles, played at three World Cups and toured twice with the British and Irish Lions.

A former chairman of the Welsh Rugby Players' Association and member of the International Rugby Players' Council, Owens was the spokesperson for Welsh players when they threatened to strike over contract uncertainty in 2023.

"I'm hugely interested in sports governance and the opportunity to go and work in a different sport, and gain new experiences and learn new things, is very exciting," said Owens.

"Obviously, with the advent of the new era of Super League Netball, it's a great time to get involved.

"I'm newly retired now, so I'll have a lot more time on my hands to be able to contribute in whichever way I can and support their dream of becoming a fully professional outfit."

The decision to reduce the number of teams in the Netball Super League from 10 to eight has proved controversial but organisers say selection was based on the "ability to deliver the on and off-court advancements" in order to "raise the standards of the league" to increase competitiveness.

Rebranded as LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons, Wales' representatives in the new-look competition are moving home games to the Utilita Arena and seeking to build on an improved 2024 season in which they are set for a mid-table finish.

Dragons chief executive Vicki Sutton is hopeful Owens' arrival on the board is another reflection of the club’s growth and development.

"Everyone in Wales knows who Ken is, so it's a good fit because we want everyone in Wales to know who the Cardiff Dragons are," said Sutton.

"Ken will bring a huge amount to the board. He loves netball, he knows professional sport because he has spent more than half his life within it.

"He will be able to advise our board and management teams what professional sport really looks like and what the players require.

"He will also be able to advise me on what a high-performance sport business looks like, so he has lots of attributes and lots of skills we can tap into."

Owens, however, concedes he may not be providing Dragons with much in the way of on-court netball expertise.

"I'm a big supporter of netball. My wife used to play and I've still got friends who play and are involved in the sport," he said.

"I did play a little bit of netball when I was at school, but I wasn't very good – probably because I was over-keen on the contact side of things!

"But it's a great sport, free-flowing and fast-paced. It's great to watch live as a spectator and I think with the new Super League plan, it's only going to grow and engage with new audiences."