Bath Rugby

Frank Butler - Academy Manager

Frank was born in Camborne in Cornwall. He was a stalwart for Camborne RFC, playing over 650 matches for the club in a twenty-year period, mainly as an openside flanker but occasionally as a scrum half.

He started coaching in 1976 after attaining one of the first RFU Preliminary coaching awards. From 1976 to 1986 he coached Cornwall Colts U18s and was also a head coach, assistant coach and player coach for Camborne. Frank has also coached the Cornwall Under 21 team and other representative county teams.

In 1991 he became the RFU's first Rugby Development Officer for Cornwall, with the task of helping to promote and develop the game throughout the county.  In 1997 he piloted the introduction of an Academy structure in Cornwall, some of which has become the model for the existing RFU Academy structure.

In February 2002 he became the Academy Manager at Bath Rugby. Frank is married and has two sons.

John Palmer - United Coach and Head Academy Coach

After over thirty years of sterling service, John Palmer is very much a part of the furniture at Bath Rugby. and is now passing on his wealth of experience in a coaching capacity to young Academy players. John is responsible for Bath Rugby's United side which competes in the Guinness A league and the Development squad who play a variety of friendly fixtures.
 

Paddy Hogben - Strength and Conditioning

Paddy attended Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester and from there gained a place at the University of Bath studying Sport and Exercise Science.

In 2004 Paddy took a year out from his degree course to work with the Bath Academy. Over the next three years he continued in the same role at the Academy and also completed his studies on a part time basis and graduated from University of Bath with a 2.1 in the summer of 2007. He continues in the same role with the Academy and is now also assistant strength & conditioning coach with the first team squad. 

In his spare time Paddy is also a very keen rower