The BSF are delighted to announce that Natalie Hull (formerly Fox) has been appointed as the new U16 GB Men’s Faspitch Head Coach. Natalie, who is mother of two boys, lives in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. She was initially introduced to Baseball when her older brother joined a team in Middlesex (playing with the sadly recently departed Alan Bloomfield). A few years later she responded to an advert in the local paper for a team looking for Ladies to join them and she began her playing career in Slowpitch Softball. This career would take her from playing in a local baseball club, to representing London Meteors (Fastpitch) at the European Club Championships and guesting for the Skelmersdale Jets a few times as well.
International Representation
Natalie was also on the South of England Squad where she travelled to Holland for a tournament and the year after she trialled for the GB Womens programme. She was subsequently offered a "wild card" spot on the squad that competed in the World Championships in St Johns, Newfoundland (Canada). She then secured her place in several European Championships and the Euro-Africa Olympic Qualifier for the Sydney Games. She also gained a GB Slowpitch cap for the 1998 European Championships.
Towards the end of her playing career she was invited to work with the U19s programme, which was a mixed group who had travelled across to Europe for youth tournaments, and it was then she made the decision that this was where she could continue to make a difference and so she retired from playing for GB.
Coaching and Development Work
Natalie was an inaugural inductee in the BSF Hall of Fame for her development work and also received the great honour of the Glover Cup. She currently manages Lytham St Annes Softball Club, which initially started with kids T-Ball pre-Covid, then girls fastpitch for a season and more recently kids T-Ball alongside the adult group that meets weekly and have participated in the NW indoor series for two years. This club has had three of their juniors travel and compete with last year's U16s squad to the European Championships. Also, she currently works in Primary Schools delivering sports provision in lesson time, lunchtime, after school and holiday clubs.
Natalie provided her thoughts on taking up the position;
“I am really looking forward to the journey towards European Championships in 2026. We have a good amount of time to prepare for this event and we will do everything we can to present opportunities for the players to gain experience both on and off the field, travelling away with a team and striving towards a common goal. I think the variety in skills and techniques from different sports that I have played really help with my overall approach when working with young people as we all learn in different ways.
The sessions will be open to all, so please get in touch via email if you would like to attend and we will send you all the details. We will be holding sessions in various regions around the country to maximise access for as many people as possible.”
Natalie can be contacted at natalie.hull@britishsoftball.org
Martin Leslie Appointed as U16 Team Manager
Alongside Natalie’s appointment, Martin Leslie is the new U16 Team Manager.
He first played Softball aged 19 in the London based Bankers league and got a taste for it, then continued to have a long playing career that continues to this day. Throughout his years he has played in many levels of Fastpitch and Slowpitch, including winning the European Championship (Faspitch) in Czechia in 1997. He continues to play NSL2 for LNZ, having previously played in NSL1, and he used to regularly play in the Great Britain Fastpitch League too.
Martin made these comments on his appointment;
“Having watched my son Jack take up the sport and then go to Czechia with the under 16s last year I decided to offer to help, having managed an international travelling team before this seemed to be where I thought I can offer most help.”