Leeds Rhinos Netball head coach Dan Ryan has made the “difficult decision” to return home to Australia and has left his role at the Vitality Netball Superleague club.
The 37-year-old, who has been living overseas for the past three years, said that due to the length of time away from his family and all the complications associated with COVID-19, it’s the right time to settle back at home.
“I’ve absolutely loved my time with Leeds Rhinos Netball and coaching the inaugural team has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my career so far,” Ryan said.
“I’m so grateful to the club for all the opportunities and I want to thank everyone involved for supporting me and believing in me.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure going on this journey and if this role was based in Australia, I’d never want to leave, as I’ve absolutely thrived here.
“Living overseas does come with some big sacrifices though and being so far away from home for so long has been challenging, especially over the past 12 months.
“It’s really sad to be ending my time in the UK, but I know this is the right decision and I’m excited to be closer to my family again and see what’s next for me.”
Under Ryan’s leadership Leeds Rhinos Netball created a full-time programme for their athletes and secured play-off netball at the first time of asking.
The programme and athletes’ development under Ryan’s watch saw individuals flourish and five were selected as part of the Vitality Roses programmes.
“I’m incredibly proud of all of the success we achieved together this year,” he said. “Seeing the individual players and the team grow and develop into a real force is something I’ll cherish for a very long time.
“I’m really confident that we’ve built a great foundation here for a really sustainable and bright future for the club and netball in Yorkshire.
“We’ve secured a great playing list for 2022 and I know that the new head coach coming in will do a brilliant job and continue to build on what we started this year.”
🦏
Thank you to @DanRyan84 for everything you helped rhinos achieve within their inaugural season, a lasting legacy definitely made 💪🏽
Family comes first at the end of the day, enjoy being closer to them and wishing you best for the future 💙💛
Once a rhino always a rhino🦏 https://t.co/nxDwvF6O7E
Dan Busfield, Leeds Rhinos Netball’s franchise director believes that Ryan is leaving the franchise in an excellent position and that they won’t be short of candidates to replace him.
“Dan has been there from the start of our journey and his passion and enthusiasm has helped build a team that has been exciting and entertaining to watch.
“Internally, he has created a team culture that we believe will allow our franchise to flourish and succeed in the future.
“We will now begin the recruitment process to bring in a new head coach to join our exciting coaching set up that includes assistant coach Maggie Birkinshaw and head of athletic performance and development, Dr Sarah Whitehead.
“We are confident we will be able to attract a strong calibre of coach who will be able to build on the strong foundations from our first season.”
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