Bath Academy Coach joins Feathers
Team Bath Academy chief Natalie Roddy excited to join Welsh Feathers national coaching set-up at start of new Netball World Cup cycle
Team Bath Netball Academy Head Coach Natalie Roddy has been appointed as Assistant Coach of the Welsh Feathers international squad at the start of the 2027 Netball World Cup cycle.
Roddy will work alongside Wales Head Coach Emily Handyside, a University of Bath alumna who was herself a netball coach at Team Bath under Jess Thirlby and Anna Stembridge.
The Feathers have this week announced their squad for the 2023-24 season, with Blue & Gold Super League star Bethan Dyke and U19 NPL shooter Sarie Watkins – both of whom represented Wales at the 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa – being selected along with Team Bath Training Partner Ellen Morgan. She features in the senior set-up for the first time after previously being part of her country’s Development Squad.
Roddy, who will continue in her role leading Team Bath’s Athlete Development Centres based across the South West of England, says she is proud to join the Feathers coaching staff.
“It’s a real honour to join Wales Netball and work with Emily Handyside and the Welsh Feathers squad,” said Roddy, who also coaches Team Bath’s U21 NPL squad. “They are an exciting group of athletes with huge potential. We are at the start of the next cycle and I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”
The Team Bath Athlete Development Centre (ADC) network allows nearly 200 aspiring netballers each year – aged from 14 to 18 – to benefit from top-class coaching plus lifestyle and sports science support at a venue close to them. ADCs are located in each county across the South West, from Gloucester in the north to Cornwall in the South.
