MY DREAM’S COME TRUE
Niamh picked for Oz after watching 2014 Games on TV
Four years ago Niamh McCall watched in wonder as Scotland’s netball team made their Commonwealth Games debut on home soil.
Now the 18-year-old is sharing a court with those Glasgow 2014 heroes and planning on making her own Commonwealth memories.
Niamh, from Strathaven, has been selected for Gold Coast 2018 in Australia and becomes the first player born in the 2000s to make a Scottish Thistles squad.
Rubbing shoulders with the players she cheered on as a youngster at Strathaven Academy, the versatile player – who can play goal attack, goal scorer or wing attack – can scarcely believe the journey she has taken since then.
After seeing Scotland claim wins over Trinidad and Tobago and St Lucia on their way to a ninth-place finish last time around, Niamh has made her mark in the sport and now she hopes to inspire the next generation.
The East Kilbride Netball Club player told the News: “Being as young as I was, and seeing some of my favourite players compete on TV gave me the drive to do the same.
“I hope that this team can also achieve this and inspire young girls like me that if you set your mind to something, you can achieve anything.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t successful with the ticket ballot in 2014 but I watched as much as I could on TV.
“I remember sitting with my mum watching the Scotland team and being completely mesmerised by the speed and skill displayed on the court.
“It is still a little strange to be playing alongside the girls which I idolised when
I was 14.
I would never have imagined that they would become my teammates nearly four years down the line. Sometimes I find it hard to believe.
“But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of my family, the coaches and the constant drive from my teammates to make me the best that I can be.
“It is an honour to be part of the squad and the first player born in 2000 to receive a senior cap in netball.”
Twelve players have been chosen to represent their country in April and Niamh is just one of a strong East Kilbride and District contingent.
East Kilbride-based stars Sam Murphy, Nicola McCleery and vicecaptain Lynsey Gallagher join Niamh in the squad, alongside fellow EK Netball Club team-mates Bethan Goodwin and Emily Nicholl.
Just last month they all helped Scotland qualify for the 2019 World Cup and Niamh is determined to prove she deserves her spot in the Commonwealth squad, when the Scots head Down Under to take on 2014 silver medallists New Zealand, England, Wales, Malawi and Uganda in Pool B.
Niamh added: “I am looking forward to representing my country, embracing the culture and showcasing Scottish netball to the rest of the world.
“Despite being the youngest in the team, I want to prove that age is just a number and I can compete against higher ranked teams.” Heroes