Natasha Pavelin
Goal Defence Goal Keeper Wing Defence
Biography
Tash Pavelin’s netball journey begun at Clan Netball Club in High Wycombe and she credits the support of her parents for her progression from here saying: “My parents have always supported me and given up so much time taking me to and from sessions when I was younger. It keeps me motivated knowing I am making them proud.”
And making them proud she certainly is, after moving up through the club’s performance pathway, Tash made her Netball Super League (NSL) debut for Team Bath in 2018. She went on to enjoy her first starts at NSL level in 2020 before building on her fantastic performances during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, which saw Team Bath finish second and third respectively.
Tash, who has represented England since 2015 and has previously competed at U17 and U21 level, was named in the England squad to face Uganda in the Vitality Netball International Series in October 2022. Whilst she didn’t take to court in this series, she went on to represent England in the FAST5 Netball World Series held in New Zealand in 2022, finishing in fourth place. Additionally, she played for the victorious England A team in a curtain-raiser match against the Scottish Thistles at the Jamaica Series in January 2023.
After suffering a devastating ACL injury in pre-season training ahead of the 2023 NSL campaign, Tash was ruled out for the entirety of the season. This setback proved both a physical and mental challenge that the young defender tackled with determination.
I got to share moments of my rehab with my close friends and my teammates and they really got around me and celebrated that as well. That was definitely a special part of the recovery process and getting back to it… I have learnt that I am tougher than I maybe thought I was.
Tash made an emotional return to court in Team Bath’s first game of the 2024 NSL season, and she has proved to be a fantastic asset to the team throughout the season.
After two years in the Future Roses programme, Tash has been elevated to the full-time Vitality Roses programme for 2024-25.
England Netball’s NETBALLHer initiative provides expert resources, practical support and game changing learning offers across a variety of topics including injury. Find out more on the NETBALLHer website.