The Western Force are today pleased to announce the appointment of Dylan Parsons as the club’s Super Rugby Women’s head coach on a full-time basis in a first for the competition and in Australia.
Parsons will replace Matt Hodgson in the position on a two-year deal, after the latter stepped aside to focus on his role as the Force general manager of rugby.
Parsons becomes the first full-time Head Coach in Super Rugby Women’s history, marking the latest milestone for the Force’s trailblazing women’s program having previously been the first Super Rugby club to employ a female high performance manager and to start player payments.
Force female high performance manager Claudia Bell said Parsons was the ideal candidate to lead the club’s women’s program into a professional new era.
Parsons takes on the role having been the head coach of the men’s Western Force Academy since 2020 along with head coach of the male Force U19s, while he also served as an assistant coach for the Force women’s side in the 2023 Super W season.
WA-born-and-bred Parsons has experience as the Western Force Super Rugby Pacific skills coach and Rugby WA’s Senior Academy head coach, while he broadened his knowledge during a spell with AFLW club West Coast Eagles as a specialist coach. He has a Masters in Sports Coaching and a Certificate in Sports Psychology for Athlete’s Development.
Bell said: “We are ecstatic with this appointment as we believe Dylan is the perfect candidate for the role. We’re delighted as a club to further our commitment to investing in women’s rugby by making him the competition and country’s first full-time women’s rugby union head coach.
“Dylan has been a part of the Western Force framework for a couple of years now, with his background working as a coach educator in Rugby WA also. Over the years Dylan has worked extremely hard to refine his coaching skills and style, putting him into a position where he is ready to undertake the full-time head coach role for the Western Force.
“I believe that Dylan will take the Super W Western Force program into the professional era that we are striving for. Already holding the respect of the players and other coaching staff involved, Dylan encompasses the ‘Western Force WA Way’. I have confidence that through his work ethic, ambitions, and skills he will be very successful within this role.”
The Super W Force team enjoyed their most successful campaign in the 2023 season, achieving back-to-back wins, winning their first game on home soil and defeating the reigning champions Fijiana Drua before narrowly missing the finals.
Force lock Michaela Leonard has since captained the Wallaroos, while Trilleen Pomare (Australia), Martha Mataele (New Zealand), Natsuki Kashiwagi (Japan), Angel Schwencke (Samoa), Saelua Leaula (Samoa) and Rachel Laqeretabua (Fiji) have featured at senior international level. Atlanta Lolohea, Eilis Doyle and Leah Miles were also selected at development level for New Zealand.
Parsons said he was delighted to become the competition’s first full-time coach with the possibilities that offered the Force Super W program as he hopes to build upon last season’s gains into 2024 and beyond.
Parsons said: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead the Force Super Women’s program and I applaud the club's ground-breaking investment in women's rugby. That is fitting as a major theme of mine with the playing group will be about achieving firsts.
"It's exciting to become Super Rugby Women’s first full-time head coach coupled by the possibilities of where this Force Super W squad can go alongside that after the team took some major strides last season.
“My coaching philosophy puts the athlete needs right in the centre of how I coach and is driven through a passion to see individuals reaching their highest potential.”
The Force will open their 2024 Super W season at HBF Park against the Rebels on Friday 15 March from 4:30pm WST as part of a double-header prior to the men’s game against the Moana Pasifika.
Memberships are on sale now, including the offer of free Junior Memberships. More info here.
