When Nansi Kuti came on at Goal Keeper for Cardiff Dragons to replace Leah Middleton against Surrey Storm she was greeted by arguably the loudest ovation of the match.

In her first full season with the Dragons in the Netball Superleague, Kuti’s reception was largely due to a pocket of Cardiff University students, cheering on their former teammate.

Whilst Kuti attempted to stay focused on the game in hand, she did allow herself a wide grin to acknowledge the reception.

“I loved every minute of it,” said Kuti.

“Our captain Nia Jones is also coach of Cardiff University’s netball club. I used to go to Cardiff and the girls come out, all 40 of them to support us.

“It’s nice having them and a game a lot of my friends and family could come to, I tried to stay in the zone, but I did enjoy their cheer.”

Having been a Training Associate with the Dragons last year, it has already been a whirlwind 12 months for Kuti, representing Wales at the Netball World Cup last summer.

Kuti studied neuro-science at Cardiff University and graduated last summer but the 21-year-old already has eyes on a return to her studies

“I’ve taken a year out and I’m going to Swansea to study medicine in September,” said Kuti.

“I’m keeping it Welsh and local to Cardiff so I can keep my netball going.

“I call it year of the netball, giving myself time to build on the opportunities I’ve been given with the Welsh Feathers and Dragons and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s been a big year and a big season as well.

“Where my netball is now I’m happy to prioritise that.”

Currently Cardiff Dragons are semi-professional but with the growth of netball and women’s sport in general, that could well change.

While Kuti admits it will be a “balancing game” between her netball and studies from September she hopes in the future she will be able to focus all her attention on the sport she loves.

“With the game developing how it is, there’s going to be opportunities to potentially play netball as a full-time career, hopefully that develops in the Welsh Feathers programme as well,” said Kuti.

“I’m keeping my options open, studying medicine has been my ultimate goal since I was in school so it was an opportunity I had to take but I’m definitely looking to balance them both and keep them going for as long as I can.”

“The girls who play in the Superleague have put in so much whilst also working full-time jobs, that’s a big big task, coming from 9 to 5 jobs, drive an hour or two hours to their franchise and then put in the hours at training sessions.

“The fact we can play at this level whilst also doing our full-time jobs shows the sport has so much potential, if you can imagine us training full-time you can only imagine what the league will look like.

“It’s a really exciting transition and everyone’s ready for us to get a move on.”