John McGinn endorsement a positive for netball, says Siren Dix

The Scotland internationalist even revealed that he and brothers Paul and Stephen had also got involved on occasion and that he would be up for getting back on court one day should an appropriate opportunity arise.

Those working feverishly behind the scenes with the Scottish Thistles national side and the Strathclyde Sirens – Scotland’s only professional team playing in the British-wide Netball Super League – do a sterling job, but McGinn’s endorsement was a shot in the arm that money can’t buy.

Beth Dix reckons that sort of exposure can only help as netball continues to grow and looks to bring new supporters along for the journey.

“That was brilliant from John and now we’re trying to see if we can get him along to a game!” says the Sirens co-captain with a laugh. “It was great to get that sort of extra publicity. Netball is on the rise overall and there are a lot of male players coming through and a couple of the Scottish men’s team players have actually been training with us. The growth of the game is really encouraging so the more people talking about netball the better.”

Dix’s partner is Callum Brittain, a promising full-back signed last summer by Blackburn Rovers. Might he be up for a Scotland v England netball battle with the McGinn boys?

“I don’t think his contract allows him to play other sports!” adds Dix. “But he really enjoys watching netball. Even if it’s not my team, we’ll watch the games together on Sky and he gets quite into it. If you’re quite sporty anyway you’d probably enjoy a fast, exciting sport like netball.

“There’s been some chat among the Blackburn boys about coming to watch us when we play in Manchester although they’re in the race for the play-offs so we’ll see how that goes. I try to get to his games, too. We know what it’s like to be a professional athlete so we both understand what the other one is going through and can support each other as well. That’s a big positive in our relationship.”

Dix is back in action this evening when the Sirens welcome the Saracens Mavericks to the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. The Scots are currently in seventh spot in the table with one win from their opening six games. That doesn’t tell the full story, however, with a rare draw in there too, an agonising one-goal loss to Team Bath and a battling away performance in defeat to London Pulse on Monday night. Dix believes there is plenty to be optimistic about.

“I know I’m biased but I definitely feel that the table doesn’t reflect how well we’ve been doing so far,” adds the Bedford-born player. “The scores don’t really tell the story of our performances. This week’s game against Pulse was probably our best yet. We were so consistent throughout the game until maybe the last 10 minutes. So we’re growing week by week and it’s exciting ahead of the next round of matches.

“It’s good to be back at the Emirates again as the home crowds are so much fun. I believe there’s a neon party theme for this one so that will be exciting too for the fans.”

On a personal level, things are also going well for Dix. The 24 year-old assumed co-captaincy duties with Scotland international Emily Nicholl following the retirement of Gia Abernethy, while she also currently leads the league in feeds with 123.

“It’s my first leadership role in a Super League squad so that’s really exciting for me. It’s nice also that I can do it alongside someone as well as it’s a new thing for me. Emily and I have been alternating the captaincy week to week but we communicate all the time, sending voice notes back and forward.

“I also think it’s important to lead by example. You need to put in good performances to show why you should be captain so I’ve had to be consistent in my own game as well as trying to boost others. I’m finding my feet in the role but it’s been good so far and hopefully it will only grow from here.”