By Ellen Tsaprailis
Nadia Doucoure has joined the Carleton Ravens Football coaching staff as an offensive assistant – receivers coach—the first female football coach to join the team since the first game in 1962.
“Having Nadia join our staff has been a great addition to the program,” says Head Coach Steve Sumarah.
“She has extensive football coaching experience in the high-performance program in her native France, as well as playing and coaching in Saskatchewan. Nadia will be working closely with Receivers Coach Youssy Pierre, who is also a new addition to our staff. We are excited to have Nadia in our program and looking forward to getting back on the field this fall.”
Offensive Assistant – Receivers Coach Nadia Doucoure
Born in Paris, Doucoure played high-level flag football and rugby for decades. With a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, Doucoure started working as a community coach in 2002. Her passion for football became a full-time career in 2006 when she was named technical adviser of France’s National Federation of American Football. She has been coaching and developing high-performance football programs ever since and is the only woman in France certified as a national coach for both football and flag.
She moved to Canada in 2014 and played for the Saskatoon Valkyries and starting coaching girls in flag while learning Canadian football rules. In 2017, Doucoure moved to Ottawa, where she was hired as a positional coach for receivers with Ontario Football.
Head Coach Steve Sumarah and Receivers Coach Youssy Pierre
“Ontario Football was looking to create a staff for a future provincial women’s tackle team,” says Doucoure.
“We are working on identifying women across the province in order to be able to have a team ready and trained for the national championship.”
Doucoure is excited to coach with the Ravens and prove that football is inclusive.
“I think Steve took a very big step by having a woman coach on his staff. The players will understand even more that football is more inclusive than any other sport. The words ‘football has a place for everyone’ is very true in my experience,” says Doucoure.
“I am happy and proud to be involved in Canadian high-performance football with a great coaching staff. The coming months will be very exciting, especially if COVID-19 lets us play and have a season.”
