Newly appointed head coach for Tifamoana Natalie Mathews is honoured to be coaching the national side and is looking forward to the journey ahead. 

It is a dream come true for her to become the head coach and she has finally did it.

"It is an absolute honour to be selected to lead Tifamoana moving forward. Returning to Netball Samoa as a coach has been a dream of mine ever since I transitioned into high-performance coaching," she said. 

"I am deeply passionate about Netball Samoa and what it means to represent the organisation.

"My goal for the future is to create a space that nurtures and enhances netball among Samoan athletes while developing a high-performance pathway on the island to help our nation thrive. I dream that every athlete in our program will grow holistically and as a player."

Natalie began her coaching career early and made a name for herself within the sport. As a player, Natalie represented the Samoa U21 at the Youth World Cup in Fort Lauderdale in 2005 and 2006. She moved away to focus on family and returned to the court to represent Samoa's national team from 2013 to 2015.

In 2023, she captained the New Zealand Indoor women's team during the World Series before retiring from International competition. Natalie holds a Bachelor's degree in Health Science majoring in Psychology. The combination of her sports experience and academic achievement equips her with a unique understanding of the mental and physical aspects of coaching and performance. 

Netball Samoa wishes her well on her journey as the head coach of Tifa Moana.