Diolch yn Fawr, Laura: Shanahan Steps Away from Super League Basketball After More Than a Decade as an Archer

After more than a decade of commitment, leadership and service to Cardiff Met Archers, Laura Shanahan is stepping away from playing in Super League Basketball, bringing to a close a remarkable chapter with the Archers at the highest level of the women’s domestic game.

For more than ten years, Shanahan has been a constant within the Cardiff Met programme. Players, coaches and competitions have changed around her, but her commitment to the Archers and the standards she has helped establish have remained.

By the 2025–26 campaign, Shanahan had entered her 11th season with the Archers’ top-flight programme, making her its longest-serving player. During that time, the domestic game itself evolved, including the transition from the Women’s British Basketball League to Super League Basketball, while Shanahan remained an important presence both on and off the court.

Her longevity tells only part of the story.

For the generations of players who have come through Cardiff Met during her time with the programme, Shanahan has provided experience, reassurance and an example of what it means to represent the Archers over a sustained period.

She has experienced the demands of competing at the highest level while balancing basketball alongside work, education and life away from the court. That experience made her an important link between different generations of Archers players and someone younger athletes could look towards as they found their own place within the programme.

Cardiff Met Archers Head Coach Stef Collins believes Shanahan’s influence has always extended beyond her contribution during games.

“Laura has been such an important part of the Archers for so many years, and her impact goes far beyond what she has done on the court,” said Collins.

“She has always had this calm and reassuring presence about her, someone you know you can rely on, particularly in challenging moments. She leads by example, never needs to be the loudest voice in the room, but has a way of making those around her feel supported and confident.

“That consistency, care and commitment has been hugely valuable to our programme. Laura is a big part of the Archers story, and her influence will continue to be felt long after she steps away from playing in the SLB.”

Shanahan’s time with Cardiff Met is closely connected to the development of the Archers programme itself. She has represented the club through different generations of players, changes to the domestic basketball landscape and the continued evolution of the performance environment at Cardiff Met.

In a university sporting environment where squads naturally evolve as players arrive, graduate and move on, that continuity has been particularly valuable. Shanahan has carried with her an understanding of the programme’s history, expectations and culture, helping pass that experience from one group of Archers to the next.

Her career is also a reminder that leadership does not always have to be loud.

For Shanahan, it has been demonstrated through consistency, dependability and the standards shown day after day. It has been about being there for teammates, understanding the programme and helping those around her develop.

While her playing chapter in Super League Basketball now comes to an end, the contribution Laura Shanahan has made to Cardiff Met Archers will remain part of the programme she has helped shape.

More than a decade as an Archer. Eleven seasons at the highest level. Countless teammates, games and memories along the way.

Diolch yn fawr, Laura.