Bayside Sharks Announce Intention to Move Up to Premier Next Season – Seek Head Coach
Bayside Sharks rugby club have announced their intention of moving up to the BC Premier for the 2026-27 season and are seeking a Head Coach, the announcement, poster and link to the application page are listed below. In July the Langley rugby club also announced their intention of moving up to BC Premier next season, that would potentially grow the league to 11 teams plus the Pacific Pride (Rugby Canada Academy) from its current 9 teams plus Pride. Currently each team plays 17 matches, a home/away with the other 8 teams plus one match against the Rugby Canada academy side.
Note: To apply email mensrugby@baysiderfc.com or visit baysiderfc.com/job-hc
from Bayside Sharks
BAYSIDE SHARKS
WE ARE HIRING HEAD COACH
We’re seeking a Head Coach to lead our Senior Men’s Program and drive performance on and off the field as we move up to premiership rugby.
Key Responsibilities
Lead the Senior Men’s team
Deliver high-performance training
Develop players and coaches
Build strong club culture
Requirements
Level 2 Coaching Certification (minimum)
Bc Premier-level experience or equivalent
Details
Season: August-May
Salary based on experience
Help shape the next chapter of our club.
Apply @ www.baysiderfc.com/job-hc/
Aren’t Rowers intending to go up next season as well? Or at least were – had originally intended to go up this season and were blocked by the BCRU I heard, so were still planning to next season. If that’s the case, will the BCRU allow the Prem go to 12 plus Pride?
True – and that’s also not counting Langley, who have already ‘declared’ they’ll be in Premier as well. That makes 3 new teams and 13 in total. As a result, all of these clubs most of whom as of now have their 2nd XV playing in Div 3 would now have to move those sides up two full divisions into Div 1/Prem Reserve league…Interesting.
Excellent question. Would love to know BCRU’s response. My concern is that the BCRU executives have no idea of the club scene, few of its members came through the club system. They have no idea what it takes to keep and grow a club. A Sri Lanka past player on the executive has no idea of the BC club scene. In the future I am not interested in the members employment and education background, I am interested in their BC club involvement history.
Langley, Bayside, Abottsford are the community where future Canada players are going to come from, so long as they are able to maintain their players (loyalty, pride and character vs $$$)and not get poached by a clubs in vancouver, they should succeed. Those areas have great feeder schools and viable social economics, Vancouver does not.
Get rid of the foreign player rules (stupid)and align the Reserves and Prem travel togather and for those clubs that have both multiple women and men’s team schedule them to have club days at every opportunity. In my opinion that is how you grow the sport of rugby in BC, be inclusive to all and let the clubs determine their destiny.
UBC DAD do your homework!! that Sri Lankan player is a long time Capilano player who was brought up there. Now i will agree several on the board have never seen a Premier game In fact based on schedule and locations most FVRFU clubs too have never seen a premier game. Club days are great but not a club whose starting 15 is here for a year only
Above quote from UBC dad “A Sri Lanka past player on the executive ” never played a game in BC, Please check the BCRU executive profile for the former international rugby player for Sri Lanka. No apologies necessary
Also regarding this quote “most FVRFU clubs too have never seen a premier game” this is true, not recently they haven’t but both Abbotsford and Bayside have had teams in the Premier level in the past and when I last checked I see more player coming from the FVRU youth program and raised in the Fraser Valley showing up on Canada 15 and 7 program. Just trace their origin. Many Canada 15 and 7 players have come from Bayside and Abbotsford area.
If the “starting 15 is only here for a year “(meaning a mix bag of players who have never played together) and can beat every team in BC, you are more of less implying something is wrong with the development of players? That is a shame. If Langley, Bayside and Rowers all want to move up it’s because they want to play against stronger players, good on them. It is a decision that should be made at the club level, It hold true for the teams currently in the premier league they want to play against the best players available.
I have never ever meet a Canada 15 or 7s player say to limit imports, never!!!!! For them to play against imports it makes no difference, they just want to get better to represent Canada and if the imports playing for clubs provides them with stronger and better competition to prepare them to represent Canada, all the better. If you don’t believe that then the question then become why does Canada Ruby 15 and 7s play international match (they are just playing imports (Sarcasms)) (?????). It so they can get better and learn from playing international matches!!!! I am being sarcastic but being a big fish in a small pond, is like being feed to the sharks when Canada 15 and 7 players do not play with imports whom come to play in the league.
BCRU import rules is a dinosaur, the rule is stupid and short sighted does not applied to the current BCRU environment.
Below are the comments from Em See on Feb 27, 2026 from another post but I believe applies to this discussion and I will illustrate by adding my comments after Em See’s comments:
February 27, 2026 at 1:53 pm Reply
1. The incentive to play Bears/rep rugby is rugby players LIKE playing rugby + competitive players LIKE playing higher levels to get better & test themselves. Comradery, prestige, travel are tertiary incentives. I’ve played in the prem league for 10+ years and not a single player I’ve played with or against has ever had Financials as a meaningful incentive to play – it’s just not a factor. Some guys don’t play because they need to focus on their careers + earning money but that’s about it and a couple hundred bucks a week/month isn’t going to move the needle. There isn’t enough money in BC/CAD rugby to change this. Enough money = players get $5k/month minimum to REPLACE their day jobs. Most high achieving athletes are high achieving in all aspects of life and don’t want to live as a pauper in BC (insane cost of living) just to play rep rugby.
Em See, is a player who played 10 year + at Prem states that “ I’ve played in the prem league for 10+ years and not a single player I’ve played with or against has ever had Financials as a meaningful incentive to play – it’s just not a factor. Some guys don’t play because they need to focus on their careers + earning money but that’s about it and a couple hundred bucks a week/month isn’t going to move the needle. “.
Based on the comments above by Em See who is a past “Premier Player’” than all clubs should stop with paying a “a couple of hundred bucks a week/month isn’t going to move the needle.” I totally agree, clubs should stop this. A club that pays for example, a min of 4 players out of their squad of 25 a couple of hundred a week, works out to $800 per week per game for entire season of 17 games works out to $13,600 saved by the club. Financially weaker club, that are trying to grow, do not want to compete on $$$. A even playing field is to compete at the club culture level. Each club could puts their $$$ saved to develop the club, players, youth program etc.
2. The reason most BC players don’t play these ADDITIONAL competitions is because they just finished a 9 month premier season (Aug pre-szn – April playoffs) and they want to rest and enjoy the best part of the Canadian year (Summer).
I agree with the above comments, “most BC Players” but there are those that really want to “represent Canada” and if they could they would, and I am not talking about players who will only do so for financial reasons like the Highlander Project. Men and Women want to go the World Cup and Olympics.
3. Please put the conversation around the “import rule” to bed. It’s such a tired discussion. Every good player/team has no issue with it. Without imports the BC premier league would be a fraction of what it is, competition wise. Further, good players like playing against other good players + strong opposition makes everyone better (“iron sharpers iron”). The only reason people are against it is because they don’t like losing and it’s a convenient excuse. Displacing Canadian players is not a good argument either. If “x Canadian Player” was so good he would play – bottom line. This isn’t tennis where there’s 1-2 spots per side. Rugby has 23 roster spots per team and there’s 10 teams in the prem league. IF YOU WERE GOOD YOU WOULD PLAY.
I agree 100% with Em See’s comments above. Kill the import Rule, only by doing this will this end the discussion.
I believe that the clubs in Langley, Bayside, Abottsford have the resources to develop. The men and women who I have meet have been great. If they, the club want to move up, it is their decision. I believe they want to get better, and be able to attract and retain players. I think many of the University players who come from the Valley would love to come back to their clubs to play if they had a Premier team. I believe by stopping paying players and getting rid of the import rules will also indirectly help them. No club/team wants to get slaughtered every game, it just reduces moral, if they feel they were not competitive they can assess at the end of the season as to stay or move down, but leave this choice to the clubs.
i would love to see some feed back from the Clubs and moms and dads in the Valley.
I hope the BCRU is l