Natasha Coyle arrived in rugby through her dad and stayed because of everything the sport gave back. Now a Media Executive at Ealing Trailfinders, a broadcaster, commentator and podcaster, Tash is building a career that refuses to be quiet and using her platform to make sure the next generation doesn’t have to be either.
How a game became a calling
As a teenager, rugby was Tash’s way of spending time with her dad. The sport got under her skin and by the time she arrived at the University of Exeter, she was already someone for whom sport was a place she belonged as well as watch and play.
‘Sport is how I’ve made the majority of long-lasting connections in my life and the values in sport is something that attracted it to me professionally.’
She captained, organised and led BUCS badminton campaigns, represented Derbyshire in netball and badminton as a junior. When it came to choosing a career, following that instinct felt less like a gamble and more like following a thread she’d been holding her whole life.
At the University of Glasgow, doing her masters, she made the call. Sport was the industry. Student journalism followed, then work experience – including a placement at Redtorch, which she credits with giving her a lasting confidence in her own ability.
Don’t let people with unconstructive words hurt you.
Your power is within you. Unleash it!
The job that built her
Tash’s first professional role came at Glasgow Warriors, as a communications assistant on a maternity cover contract. She learned her craft there – video, photography, the daily rhythm of a club environment. ‘I learnt a lot of my day-to-day video and photography skills at Glasgow and immersed myself in the club’s culture whilst learning much about sports communications.’
It was formative in the way first jobs either are or aren’t, and for Tash, it absolutely was. ‘My first job at Glasgow instilled so much confidence in me that I’m really good at what I do and can get the best out of people meant that whoever I faced didn’t phase me.’
When that contract ended, she spent time in squash. But her heart stayed with rugby. So when the opportunity arose at Ealing Trailfinders in the summer of 2025, she took it. ‘The opportunity to work with both men’s and women’s rugby players stood out to me and that’s where I’ve been since.’
Making noise
Alongside her club role, Tash hosts and produces Her Side of the Ruck, a podcast that started with the URC and international men’s game and has since expanded to cover women’s international rugby too. She made her broadcast debut on Premier Sports in 2024. More recently, she made her commentary debut with ClubberTV, streaming Championship Rugby. She’s also currently on World Rugby’s Women in Leadership programme, having previously completed the URC’s Women’s Leadership Academy in 2025 – a programme she describes as delivering far more than she expected. ‘This programme offered so much, including a great friendship with my fellow podcaster and now very good friend, Bernice who lives in South Africa.’
Her nomination for Student of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards in 2023 landed differently to the other milestones. ‘This was my first national award nomination and it felt like this was confirmation that I was great at what I did.’
What’s striking about this body of work is how much of it Tash has created herself. She hasn’t waited for platforms to appear. ‘When I look back at it, so much has happened within a 3-4 year period but that makes me really proud of myself.’
Getting heard
Tash is direct about the biggest challenge she’s faced: being taken seriously in rooms where not everyone was listening. For someone she describes as extroverted and not shy about giving an opinion, navigating that required patience she had to learn.
‘I’ve been in many environments where there are great active listeners who are also fabulous leaders,’ she says. ‘But I’ve also experienced the opposite.’ Her approach evolved. Listen first. Identify the stakeholders who need to understand your value. Speak with clarity and consistency. Hold people accountable, publicly if necessary.
She’s also had to call out behaviour directly. A conversation with a male colleague that veered into personal territory rather than professional development led her to challenge him on it head-on. ‘I said, would you say that to a man?’ He retracted the comment. After that, she set the terms clearly: work only. She had no more issues.
‘I can sniff out misogyny a mile off and I won’t tolerate it,’ she says. ‘Anchoring myself in my values is key. Regardless of someone else’s behaviour, mine reflects on me and theirs does not. It reflects on them.’
Women have so much to offer in this industry and the more diversity we have at the table, the better the product we create.
The work that goes unseen
Tash is thinking beyond her own career. She thinks a lot about the women behind her – the ones still looking for the door in.
She’s blunt about what she’s witnessed: women paid less, asked to do things male colleagues wouldn’t be expected to, less likely to push back. Beyond individual behaviour, she points to structural realities that don’t always make headlines. ‘Unfriendly work hours in some areas of sport, lower pay than other industries, maternity leave can vary in different organisations, and there often being an expectation to always be available.’
On that last one, Tash has a clear position: ‘My time is my time and if you want the best out of me, you also need to leave me to my own time outside of work.’
She also raises something less discussed: the way unpaid work locks people out before they’ve even started. ‘Unpaid work disadvantages the working class and women the most in my opinion.’ Her response is practical, directing young women to resources, to networks, to paid opportunities wherever she can find them. ‘I will always try my best to accommodate them because in my eyes, I was that person knocking on the door once and I want others to be successful in this industry.’
Her broader belief is simple: ‘Women have so much to offer in this industry and the more diversity we have at the table, the better the product we create.’
Unleash it
If there’s a single thread running through everything Tash has done – the podcasting, the broadcasting, the advocacy, the door she keeps propping open for others – it’s that she believed in herself before anyone else confirmed she should.
Her advice to women coming up is to say yes, but with intention. ‘Say yes to things but within reason. Your time is precious so seek out the opportunities that you think will best align with your goal.’ Ask for what you need. Ask for the opportunities you want. ‘I’ve had a lot of women reach out to me in my position at Trailfinders and I will always try my best to accommodate them.’
And for the moments when other people’s words get in the way? Tash is clear: ‘Don’t let people with unconstructive words hurt you. Your power is within you. Unleash it!’
Women like Tash are the voices changing the game – on and off the field.
Follow her socials below and stay connected with She Moves The Game as we spotlight more trailblazing women in sport.
Want to share your story or nominate someone doing amazing work in women’s sport?
Jess Reus
I am a food-loving, dog-appreciating, hockey player.
My most memorable sporting moment is…
Full on face planting on the Spine Ramp at FISE Montpellier in front of a crowd of 6,000 people and a load of professional Skateboarders...
I am happiest when …
I have food in my mouth.
The sports person that best represents me is …
Kate Richardson-Walsh.
The three things at the top of my bucket list are …
1. Travel around China and Japan
2. Meet Trixie Mattel
3. Learn a second language
A quote I live my life by is …
“They say I'm the Hottest MC in the Game. If you label me that, I will live up to it. Trust me.” – Lil Wayne.
More insights
