Ken Owens has joined the board of Cardiff Dragons as a director.

The former Wales rugby captain has joined the Netball Super League side in a non-executive role, following Dragons confirmation that they will be one of the eight new professional sides competing in the revamped competition.

Rebranded as LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons, the side are moving home games to the Utilita Arena and looking to build on an improved 2024 season in which they are set for a mid-table finish.

The ex-Scarlets hooker retired in April after a 18-year professional career that included 91 caps for Wales and more than 250 games for Scarlets.

At international level, Owens won four Six Nations titles, played at three World Cups and toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2017 and 2021.

Owens, 37, was previously the chair of the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association and member of the International Rugby Players’ Council and was front and centre of the breakdown in talks between players and the WRU 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,” Owens said.

“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.

“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.”

Owens, though, admits he will not be offering any expertise in terms of on-court skill.

“I did play a little bit of netball when I was at school, but I wasn’t very good,” he joked.

“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 a 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.”

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.”