Eliza Morgan as Franchise Pathway Lead
Birmingham Panthers have announced more of their debut season coaching and performance staff.A netballer since she was five years old, Eliza brings over 24 years’ experience from within the sport to this newly created role where she will be responsible for nurturing and developing netballing talent from across the West Midlands.
Eliza joins from England Netball where she was a Development Community Coach and Central Pathway Lead. Her time there saw her identify and develop the pathway Performance and Development squads. In conjunction with this new role at Panthers, Eliza is the Senior Head Coach of YWCA Bury Netball Club, managing 50 players across four squads, including National Premier League and Regional Premier League teams, winning the North West Premier League in 2022/23 season.
Eliza studied Photography at Manchester and has completed an Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence. She has represented both England and Great Britain at Handball and is perfectly placed to understand and support players handle the pressure, commitment, and challenges that young emerging talent face.
Eliza is now responsible for identifying and developing the talent that form the Panthers Pathway. There are over 435 players, spread across 16 hubs across the West Midlands. These girls have been identified from the 25 trials that were carried out across multiple venues that took place across the West Midlands and beyond, Eliza is now tasked with nurturing the young Panthers talent, ensuring the girls have the skills they need to consolidate their game, develop elite skills, and are ready to play at a higher level.
Having started her coaching journey a decade ago, Eliza has an array of awards and recognition throughout her career as both coach and player. She will bring this experience to ensuring that the girls on the development programme have all they need to be a success both on and off the court.
Eliza said: “This is a real honour to be a part of these girls’ playing experiences. Selecting the Panthers Pathway participants was incredibly hard as the region is full of talent. Taking these girls to the Pathway is about ensuring they develop as players and people. I want to instil confidence and camaraderie amongst our players as they build friendships and relationships. From this base, I will ensure they also develop and hone their skills and have all the attributes they need to be the best they can be when playing.”
Eliza has a Pathway coaching team of 28 spread across seven sites, including NXT Gen squad, NPL Squads, and Player Development Programmes. The Panthers Pathway is rich with talent and with Eliza at the helm is set for great things. Watch this space!
