Francis – who won three Superleague titles with Team Bath as a player, including one as captain, and returned to the Haines Watts-sponsored Blue & Gold as Technical Coach this season – will take over the reins from the departing Anna Stembridge at the end of the 2022 campaign.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity,” said Francis. “Team Bath is really important to me and a big part of who I am, right back to first coming here as a University of Bath student, so I’m thrilled to be able to take this next step with a club that has given me so much.

“I’ve been involved with Team Bath for a long time, as a player and a coach, and now I’m looking forward to this new chapter. It’s not just 2023 that I’m planning towards, it’s shaping how the whole programme – Superleague, University, Athlete Development Centres, the recruitment pathway – will look over the coming years.”

Francis was part of Team Bath’s first-ever title-winning squad during the inaugural Superleague season in 2006. The influential goal-attack, who represented England and her native Singapore internationally, enjoyed more success in the Blue & Gold in 2010 and 2013, lifting the trophy as captain in the latter campaign.

She gained her first coaching experience with Team Bath Toucans, part of the community netball club associated with the Superleague franchise, and the University of Bath student programme before moving to Singapore with her young family in 2018, during which time she enjoyed a spell as General Manager of the Sport Ready Netball Academy.

They returned to the UK in September 2021 when Francis took up the role of Team Bath Technical Coach, assisting Stembridge in the Superleague and also running Coach Education courses and workshops across the South West of England.

“I’ve definitely learnt a lot this year,” she said. “There have been some real challenges, some ups and downs, but we have worked through them and earned another Superleague semi-final place.

“I cannot wait to get started in my new role but we have a huge job to do before then, with our last game of the 2022 league season at Saracens Mavericks on Saturday and then heading into Finals Weekend.

“No matter what the outcome is, we really want to make sure we finish with performances that we can be proud of. If we can perform the way we know we can, I think we’ll come off the season happy.”

Alicia John – Franchise Manager of Team Bath, who are also supported by Rengen – said: “We are delighted that Asha will be stepping into the Head Coach role at the end of the season. She was the standout candidate, not just for her understanding of Team Bath’s legacy and culture but for the inspirational vision she has for the club’s future at all levels.

“Asha is already a key figure in our Blue & Gold history and we are excited to see what she will achieve in this new role.”

Francis will be putting her coaching and support team in place over the coming weeks.

Team Bath Netball is supported by its Principal and Pathway Partner, chartered accountants Haines Watts; Rengen Developments, who are an overall Team Bath Partner; Centurion Chartered Financial Planners and Ecus Ltd, our environment partner. Team Bath’s suppliers include O’Neills, 2XU, Pulseroll and HALO Hydration.

 Her key responsibility will be working with University of Bath students in British Universities & Colleges Sport [BUCS] competitions but she will work across all the Team Bath Netball programme, including the Vitality Superleague high-performance team and the development of the new Futures Performance Pathway.

Francis has first-hand experience of progressing through the ranks at Team Bath having helped the University of Bath win two national BUCS crowns as a student.

She also played for Team Bath Toucans at National League level before going on to enjoy a hugely-successful Superleague career with the Blue & Gold, captaining them to a record fifth title in 2013, and representing both England and Singapore at international level.

For the past two years Francis has combined playing with coaching Toucans, guiding them to the National Premier League 2 title this year. She has also been developing her skills on the Team Bath Netball Apprentice Coach Programme under the experienced supervision of Denise Ellis, who has worked with Team Bath and England players across all age groups during her career.

“This is an exciting opportunity to work with a great group of coaches right across a world-class netball set-up and it’s certainly one I couldn’t let pass me by,” said Francis.

“When I first started coaching a couple of years ago it was a big change as I had previously taught language in secondary school. I left that after having children and I thought coaching would give me more flexibility.

“I was worried at first that netball would take over my life with playing, training and coaching but I have loved it and found getting the best out of the players, both physically and mentally, to be a really interesting challenge.

“I have been part of the Team Bath set-up for more than a decade and I understand the ethos here. There is a family atmosphere across all the teams and we have a certain style we like to play – I have experienced that as an athlete and now I’m looking forward to passing it on as a coach.”

Francis is particularly excited about working with the student programme, a key part of the netball performance pathway. She is just one of a host of Blue & Gold stars to have combined world-class study and sport at the University of Bath, with other noted alumni including Pamela Cookey, Tamsin Greenway, Stacey Francis and Kadeen Corbin.

Current students making their mark including King Sporting Scholar Imogen Allison, a regular in the Superleague last season, and Tash Pavelin, who has been selected for next month’s British Fast5 All-Stars alongside Francis after impressing with Team Bath’s U21s.

“The netball set-up here is great for students as they don’t just have BUCS competitions but there are opportunities with Team Bath as well,” said Francis, who coached the University’s 2nd team to the BUCS Cup final in 2016 along with former Blue & Gold team-mate Claire Brownie.

“Even if they are playing for the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th teams, the students all benefit from being part of the high-performance programme and there is a good progression structure in place. My aim is to strengthen that even further and help to secure as many BUCS points as possible, with all of the teams making a contribution.”

Francis will work closely with Jess Thirlby, Director of Netball at Team Bath, who said: “Asha always leads by example on and off the court as a player, and she has taken those inspirational qualities into her coaching career.

“She has shown in her work with the Toucans that she has so much to offer as a coach and the fact that she has experienced the performance pathway directly makes her a real role model for players coming through the system.”

Meanwhile, Team Bath Netball are advertising for a Head of Netball for their new Academy based at the University of Exeter. The successful applicant will work as part of the extended Team Bath netball programme to manage and develop the Exeter Academy, which will form part of the Blue & Gold’s world-class Performance Pathway Programme.

You can apply or find more information here.

Team Bath Netball are sponsored by Sitec, Mogers Drewett are their Education Partners, Centurion Chartered Financial Planners are supporting the team’s performance analysis capabilities, Viper 10 are their Sportswear Supplier and Skins provide the team with compression wear.

Report courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.