Women’s Super Cup winner Sophie Abela is once again a Maltese abroad with her move to Spanish side CD Isla Bonita, the club has officially confirmed.

“Introducing Sophie Abela, a Malta natural player who started playing basketball when she was five years old,” a club statement read.

“(Abela) Graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor in Business and Sports Management. Returning to Malta she played at Depiro club for a year and this year joins our Isla Bonita family for this new season 24/25. Welcome Sophie to your new home!”

Abela, who was on the books of Depiro until a few days ago, returns overseas after her time in the USA playing college ball in Colorado. 

Last season, she was part of a Depiro team which made it to the playoff finals, losing to the eventual champions Caffe Moak Luxol in Game Five. However, Abela lifted the KnockOut trophy earlier on in March. Abela was also part of coach Charlie Bonnici’s Malta national team over the summer at the FIBA Small Countries Games, in which Malta finished second place, as well as the Malta Women’s 3×3 team in the Fiba Europe Cup qualifiers. 

Now she moves to an Isla Bonita side that has already played their first two encounters of the new season, beating Gran Canaria 81-67 in their latest game, one which featured the Abela.

Isla Bonita are part of the Primera División Nacional Femenina, which is the top regional league in the Canary Islands. This league represents a significant level of women’s basketball in Spain, with teams often aspiring to reach higher national competitions like Liga Femenina 2. The team is associated with the Roque Idafe project and is based on the island of La Palma.