Dan Valley named full-time coach of Queen's women’s rugby

Queen's Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce that Dan Valley will be the new full-time coach of women's rugby, beginning July 17.

Queen's recently announced it was establishing full-time coaching positions for both its men's and women's soccer and rugby programs, creating opportunities for sustained and strategic planning for both sports.

"We are excited to welcome Dan to Queen's and to kick off the new season with a full-time coach in place," says Sean Scott, Director, High Performance Sport Operations.

Valley brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role.  He is the current head coach of the Rugby Canada U18 Women's 15's program, and is also a Technical Lead for the Canada 7's NextGen program in Ontario.  He was an assistant coach of the McMaster Women's Rugby program that won a CIS Championship in 2015 and his high school program at Oakville Trafalgar (Oakville) is regarded as one of the most successful rugby programs in Ontario, winning six provincial medals (three gold, two silver, and one bronze) since 2011.  He holds a Master of Sport Coaching from the University of Queensland, a Master of Teaching from Griffith University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from the University of Western Ontario.
 
"I have always had a great deal of respect for the rugby program here at Queen's, and am thrilled to be leading a program with such a proud history, and one that represents an institution with such a rich, storied tradition of excellence. It's a really exciting time for our program," says Valley.

Athletics and Recreation also wishes to acknowledge and thank coach Beth Barz and all of the team's past coaches for their years of dedication to the Queen's women's rugby program.

"Beth has been an excellent coach and mentor to our student-athletes over the years," says Leslie Dal Cin, Executive Director, Athletics and Recreation. "This shift to full time leadership is in many ways a tribute to and reflection of a job very well done by our coaches in a part-time role, while recognizing the need to augment the student-athlete experience and long-term competitive growth of our programs."

The women's rugby season gets underway September 2 as the Gaels take on the Gryphons in Guelph.

Source: Queen's Gaels