OVER the past year, Bethan Goodwin has been forced to become something of an expert at multi-tasking.

The 17 year-old from Glasgow is a member of Sirens netball team which is approaching the end of its first season in the Vitality Netball Superleague, as well as playing international netball for both Scotland’s junior and senior teams.

As if that wasn’t enough for most people to contend with, Goodwin has had to combine her sport with her final year of school, a task that has proved less than easy at times.

The teenager has coped with the heavy workload admirably though and is still as motivated as ever. Which is just as well as there is no sign of her being able to slow down any time soon.

Next week, Goodwin will line up with the Scottish under-21 team as they make an assault on the Netball Europe under-21 championships which this year, has an added incentive for the Scots as it will take place on home ground in Aberdeen.

This event is the start of a vital period for the under-21 team as they build-up to the World Youth Cup which will take place in Botswana in July and Goodwin admits that she cannot wait to get going on international duty.

“I’m so excited about Netball Europe because it’s always a great event and with it being at home, we’ll have so much support behind us,” she said.

“We’ve got so much confidence going into the event and the team has progressed so much recently so we really want to build on our performances from last season.

“It’ll also be good for us to see where we are before we head to Botswana in the summer.”

Goodwin may still be in the fledgling stages of her sporting career but already she has amassed a wealth of experience.

She was awarded her first cap for the Scottish senior team, the Scottish Thistles, in 2016 but her big break came when she was invited to join Sirens late last year.

The formation of Scotland’s first-ever professional netball team was a huge step forward for the sport in this country and they have performed admirably in their maiden season, currently sitting in sixth position in the Vitality Netball Superleague.

The squad consists of a number highly experienced players so for Goodwin, who is one of the youngest members of the squad, the experience she is gaining is invaluable.

“This time last year I didn’t know Sirens were even forming so if someone had told me that I’d be in this position now, I’d never have believed them – it’s just amazing,” she says.

“Sirens has helped me improve so much because it’s a whole different style of play from what I’d been used to in terms of moving the ball much quicker and thinking ahead. And you need to be so much fitter to play at this level so I’ve really had to raise my game.”

Sirens may be focused on winning on the court but another vital part of the team’s ethos is that they want to promote women’s sport and encourage more girls to become involved in netball.

The players go into schools in an attempt to motivate and inspire children and it is clear that Goodwin has a real passion for this.

“I love going to speaking to young girls about netball and it’s so great to see them get excited about the sport,” the teenager says. “And after hearing about Sirens, so many of them come to the home games and that’s fantastic because some of them could well be the future of netball in this country.”

Sirens are also doing a significant amount to raise the profile of women’s sport in this country and with some of their Superleague matches shown live on Sky television, netball now has a profile in Scotland that few could have anticipated.

“Sirens have shown that people want to watch netball and that’s been brilliant,” she says. “We’ve changed so many people’s perceptions of the sport and we’ve shown people who might have underestimated the sport that it’s nothing like they imagined.”

With Goodwin still so young, she is likely to have many more years of her netball career ahead of her.

The teenager will begin studying at Strathclyde University later this year but with the Commonwealth Games less than a year away, she will continue to have a packed schedule.

“It’s going to be a busy spell and so for the next few years, I’ll just see how things go in Scotland,” she says. “I’ve not thought too much about moving abroad but it is a very appealing prospect and it would be amazing to do at some point.

“And while I don’t know exactly what I’ll do, I have to admit that becoming a full-time netball player does sound really good.”