Daley comes full circle with Team Canada U19 team
Player when Peterborough hosted 2007 worlds, she’ll be coach when city hosts again next year
When Peterborough hosted the 2007 FIL World U19 Women’s Field Lacrosse Championships Allison Daley was one of two hometown players on Team Canada.
Next year, the world U19s return to Peterborough and once again Daley will be a part of
Team Canada now as associate head coach.
“It’s so cool,” Daley said. “When I think about it it kind of gives me goosebumps because I’ve really gone full circle from where I started my international career to now coaching and it’s in Peterborough.”
Trent University was the site of the 2007 event with 12 teams.
Next Aug. 1 to 10 there will be 25 teams competing once again at Justin Chiu Stadium and also at the Fleming Sports Complex. Daley and Ashley Curtis played on a Canadian team that finished fourth in 2007.
“It will be a humbling and unique experience,” Daley said.
“With Peterborough being the lacrosse town that it is the support we had in 2007 is something I will never forget. The stands being full at all of our games. I think now it will be even more special.”
The Canadian Lacrosse Association unveiled its coaching staff on Tuesday with Daley returning along with head coach Scott Teeter from Canada’s first gold medal winning team in 2015.
Daley, a goalie, played for Teeter at Canisius College from 200811 and again last summer at the women’s world championships. She served as Teeter’s assistant coach at Canisius from 2011-13 and replaced him as head coach at Canisius when Teeter left to assume the same role at the University of Louisville last year.
“Coach Teeter and I go back a number of years,” Daley said.
“He took a chance on me 10 years ago to play for him at Canisius. That really sparked our relationship. He’s also coached the other three assistant coaches last summer with Canada’s senior national team. I think it’s amazing and great we have such quality coaches within the CLA.”
Also on staff are Katie Ranger, Emily Boissoneault and Kaylin Morissette who all played with Daley on Canada’s national senior team which took silver at the world championships last year.
Since 2007, Canada has steadily improved at the U19 level winning bronze in 2011 and gold in 2015 led by tournament MVP and Peterborough native Erica Evans.
“It’s a testament to the hard work that goes on behind the scenes by the director of women’s lacrosse, Gary Gait, and his investment in the sport,” Daley said. “It took a giant leap forward with the resources going to the right places to put together a high quality, high calibre team with good training sessions and competing against top quality teams before the worlds.”
The selection process for Team Canada will begin with a camp Nov. 23 to 25 at Syracuse University where 50 to 70 players will be invited. A series of camps and exhibition games will be held through to final roster selection in July.
The list of potential players has not yet been released publicly. Daley expects there will be girls from Peterborough invited to tryouts. She is coaching Skylar McArthur, a freshman at Canisius, who is likely to be on the list.
“There will definitely be some Peterborough representation throughout this process,” Daley said.
“At this point, it’s hard to say, for anyone, who will be in that final 18 but there will definitely be some Peterborough representation to start. Hopefully, they have a couple of good camps. It would certainly be nice to have some local talent named to that final 18 roster.”
While there is only one girl eligible to return from the 2015 championship team, Daley says there is plenty of good talent in Canada to once again be a medal threat.
“I think we can assemble an extremely strong team,” she said.