Ferris Appointed Head Coach of All Blues WRFC

It is with pride and enthusiasm that the All Blues announce the appointment of Adriaan Ferris as the club’s Head Coach for the Fall 2013 Women’s Premier League season.

Ferris, most recently the Head Coach of the Northland Rugby Union ITM Cup Team and Director of Rugby instigated the recently formed Northland Women’s 7s Program as part of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s wider “Rio 2016: Go for Gold” Program – part of New Zealand Rugby’s incessant drive for Gold Medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Coach Ferris has  also been involved with the NZRU’s Mens U20 Talent ID & Selection process, the Tongan National 7’s Team in the IRB World Series and was with the Flying Fijians at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Having recently spent a month coaching in the fledgling Carlton Super 7s Series in Sri Lanka, Ferris returns the Bay Area to take the reins of the current WPL National Champions, taking over from former Head Coach Kathy Flores. Coach Flores, who will be greatly missed and fondly remembered, has successfully continued to develop the All Blues for over ten years. Her contribution to the All Blues will continue to inspire members long after her departure. Flores has accepted the Head Coaching position of the Brown University Women’s Rugby Team is set to begin her new role this month.

“I’m genuinely excited about this opportunity to coach competitively in the USA” says Ferris. “Having spent some time in the spring with the All Blues, I know they have culture of success and high expectations – being the most successful women’s team in the US. Its clear the dedication, level of commitment and professionalism of these ladies to their sport here in the US is equal to any player in NZ – male or female. You have to remember, these ladies hold full time jobs are are quintessential amateurs. So to prepare and train the way they do is immensely motivating”

Despite being a novice in coaching female athletes, Coach Ferris will be no less forgiving, given his professional coaching background.

In terms of what you can expect from Coach Ferris he simply states “mastering the basics – being very, very good at the simple things in the game – run, catch, pass, tackle etc. It is important that we master the ability to execute our core roles even under extreme pressure situations. That and buying into a team first philosophy.”

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)