Leah Blayney named Head Coach of Calgary Wild FC

Calgary Wild has today announced the appointment of former Matilda and Japan Women’s National Team Assistant coach Leah Blayney as the second Head Coach in the Club's history.

Blayney arrives in Calgary four days after her 40th birthday, on the back of a successful period at Nadeshiko Japan, guiding them towards a historic 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup win in her own country, a 2025 SheBelieves Cup title and qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Prior to joining Japan, the Pro Licence coach spent five years as U20 Women's Head Coach for Australia, leading the Young Matildas to consecutive FIFA U20 Women's World Cup appearances and earning a finalist nomination for the AFC’s 2024 Women's Coach of the Year award.

As a player, Blayney earned 16 senior caps for the Matildas before injury brought her career - which included experience in the NCAA, NWSL and Sweden - to a premature end.

On the opportunity to join Calgary Wild, Leah reflected:

"This is an opportunity to be a part of creating something meaningful, to build an environment and a team with a clear identity, with elite standards, a culture and a style of football the players believe in, and that people can identify with.

"I believe the Northern Super League has a really bright future, and I'm excited to play my part in that by helping Calgary Wild FC be as successful as it can be."

Calgary Wild FC’s CEO, Lara Murphy, added:

"Leah’s 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 Wild FC into its next chapter. We are thrilled to welcome Leah to Calgary."

Leah’s takes on an immediate challenge as Calgary prepares for its Wild West Match, the Wild’s contribution to Stampede week, this weekend.

Congratulations, Leah!