Posted 4th Feb 2020

Natalie Roddy looking to grow Team Bath Netball Futures Pathway programme after being appointed as Academy Head Coach

Natalie Roddy is hoping to give more aspiring young netballers in the South West region the chance to benefit from top-class training and support with Team Bath Netball after being appointed as the new Academy Head Coach.

Roddy – who has more than 20 years’ experience in netball as a player, coach and administrator – is taking the reins from Lois Jackson and is keen to build on her predecessor’s work in establishing a successful Futures Pathway talent development programme at hubs and academies across the region, stretching from Bristol to Cornwall.

“Lois has done an amazing job from a standing start with the Futures programme and it is having results, as can be seen by the players selected for England age-group squads,” said Roddy.

“My goal is to continue that work but also create more opportunities for talented young players right across the South West to access the top-class coaching and support network that we offer at Team Bath Netball.

“I am coming into the system with a fresh perspective and I am excited to see where we can progress and build.”

Roddy is no stranger to Team Bath Netball, with her involvement dating right back to the club’s formation.

“I played for Toucans Netball Club in Middlesex in the late 1990s and we came to the University of Bath to play a National Premier League game,” she recalled.

“The University’s high-performance netball programme was just being established and there were players like Claire Elsley and Tamsin Greenway who needed access to league netball, so we eventually joined forces and became Team Bath Toucans.

“Playing at that level allowed Team Bath to enter the Super Cup in 2002, which eventually grew into the national Superleague competition and the rest is history.”

Roddy was also involved in the formation of Team Bath Community Netball Club in 2007, following a merger with Bath NC, and has served as chairman ever since for a thriving set-up which now fields 18 teams, from U12s through to the National Premier League.

“I really love being part of the netball community and creating opportunities for people to get involved,” said Roddy, who has also enjoyed a successful coaching career at The Royal High School Bath.

Jackson has stepped back from the Academy Head Coach role due to her commitments with husband Ed’s charity, M2M Presents, but remains involved in the Futures Pathway programme and is Head Coach of Team Bath’s U19 NPL squad.

Around 100 netballers aged between 14 and 19 are currently part of the Futures Pathway, which has Academies in Bath and Exeter plus Hubs in Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. Click here to find out more.

Other news articles

A photo of Team Bath Netball goal-attack holding the ball and smiling as she assesses her passing options while being closed down by two Birmingham Panthers defenders during a 2025 NXT Gen League fixture at the Team Bath Arena. The photo was taken by Josh Le Feuvre.
Team Bath Netball come from behind to tame Birmingham Panthers and stretch NXT Gen League winning run

Team Bath Netball closed to within a point of second place in the NXT Gen League as they came from behind to secure a well-earned 58-52 away win over Birmingham Panthers on Sunday. It was a third successive victory...

Read More
A picture of Team Bath Netball player Ane De Wet smiling at the camera.
“Exciting talent” Ané De Wet wins national U19 NPL Player of the Season award after stellar campaign with Blue & Gold

Emerging Team Bath Netball talent Ané De Wet has been named as the national U19 Player of the Season for the 2024-25 Netball Performance League (NPL) campaign. The versatile attacking player made an impressive step up from the U17s,...

Read More
Team Bath Netball players celebrate in a huddle after their extra-time victory over London Mavericks in the 2025 NXT Gen League. The photo was taken by Josh Le Feuvre.
MVP Charlotte Watts coolly nets extra-time winner as Team Bath Netball edge past Mavericks again in another NXT Gen League thriller

A nerveless finish from player of the match Charlotte Watts sealed a dramatic extra-time victory for Team Bath Netball in Bristol after another NXT Gen League thriller against London Mavericks. Team Bath had rallied from seven goals down in...

Read More
Team Bath Netball Sponsors
Partners and Suppliers