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.
