With nearly four months to go in their season, the Calgary Wild FC has hired a new bench boss.
Leah Blayney, whose coaching and playing career includes playing for and coaching Australian national teams, has been hired as the Calgary Wild’s second head coach.
Blayney said that she can’t wait to get started in Calgary.
“I was obviously well aware of the league from following it as a growing league,” she told LWC.
“I really like everything that I’ve seen from the day it was launched. It’s an exciting period for women’s football all over the world, so the draw to be a part of something that’s so new and help build women’s football is something that really resonated with me.”
Blayney said that throughout the interview process, she felt a genuine connection with club leadership.
The Australian arrived in Calgary late Wednesday night. Even though she is the team’s active head coach, everyone involved decided a slightly minimized role in this weekend’s game would best suit the situation.
“I’ll be with our analyst throughout the game this weekend. I’ve only been in with the group for two sessions, the match day minus one and today,” Blayney said.
“In order to not cause a lot of disruption this week, it was better to get immersed in the environment that currently exists and strengthen that space initially by helping (interim head coach) Sinead McSharry with the job she’s been doing because she’s been doing an excellent job.”
Even in her early goings, Blayney has been impressed with the team’s skill, connectivity and work ethic.
Change takes time, Blayney says
With 16 games left in the season, Blayney said that change won’t come instantly for the currently winless Wild.
“It’s important that whenever somebody new comes in with different ideas, we understand that things will take time and that it’s a process,” she said.
“That’s what really attracted me to Calgary as well, we understand the position we are in, and that it’s going to take time and multiple different strategies.”
Candidly, Blayney said that the sheer number of former players involved in NSL leadership was a big factor in her excitement to join the Wild.
“It’s something that is a true representation of the progressiveness that’s occurring in women’s football around the world. I love that you’ve got a lot of former players involved with wanting to further develop their own domestic product,” she said.
“You’ve got investors and owners who are geared towards improving women’s sports specifically, that is an attractive thing to to be a part of.”
Lara Murphy, CEO of the Calgary Wild FC, said that Blayney herself is a respected and progressive coach in football.
“Her experience at the highest levels of international football, her proven ability to develop players, and her commitment to building high-performance environments made her the clear choice to lead Calgary Wild FC into its next chapter. We are thrilled to welcome Leah to Calgary,” Murphy said in a statement.
Though she hasn’t had the chance to walk the grounds yet, Blayney called the Calgary Stampede world-famous and said that she hopes she’ll have time to visit before the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth ends for the summer.
“I’m not sure the time I’ll have to get out (to Stampede), I arrived at 11 p.m. on Wednesday night after 25 hours of flying, but it’s a massive event,” she said.
“I’m hoping that people come out and show up for the girls on Saturday night on the back end of that. What a great day to go out and enjoy the Stampede and then make your way over to the match. That’s a pretty good night out.”
Tickets to Saturday’s match against the Vancouver Rise FC can be found here.
