Rugby United New York & Tiffany Faaee

Rugby United New York has named Tiffany Faaee as an Assistant Coach. Among her team duties will be working with the forwards and on tackling techniques. She is the first female coach to be employed in U.S. Men’s professional rugby. As such, many will view her as a role model for women, but she will first want to be known as a rugby coach, whose leadership and talent help professional athletes to perform to the best of their capabilities.

Faaee was born in Los Angles, California, but at age seven, moved to Samoa with her mother and her four siblings. Three years later the family moved to North Shore, an urban area of Auckland, New Zealand. She attended Birkenhead College, graduating in 2000.

While in New Zealand she began to play rugby union at age 16 in high school as a center. She later played as a prop for Northcote 2001-2003, Glenfield 2003-2005, NZ Navy 2006-2007, Takapuna 2008-2010, She also played provincial rugby for North Harbour. Faaee has played rugby league and represented both Samoa and New Zealand.

While with Northcote Tigers, Otahuhu Leopards, and Richmond Roses, she was selected into the Kiwi Ferns squad in 2014. I played a test match for Samoa Rugby League against Australia 2011.

In 2014, she moved to New York after being a spectator at the 2014 Women’s World Cup in Paris and now resides in Brooklyn. She played for New York Rugby Club from 2014 through her retirement as a player in November 2017. She also captained the team in 2016 and in 2017 when the team won the WPL Championship.

Faaee currently coaches New York Rugby Club and is the Men’s and Women’s Head Coach of Monroe College since 2018, a role she will continue to hold. In 2018 she was also the Manager for the Women’s Premier League All-Star match in July.

Tiffany responded that “ss a coach I’m inspired by helping people reach their goals. Whatever they might be. A players goal or a teams goal. I’m inspired by seeing people learn how powerful they are and how they can overcome physical and mental barriers.”

Tiffany Faaee & USA Rugby National Team

The 36-year-old, former national team player is 5’8″ and played prop for the Women’s Eagles (No. 246). She earned 13 caps for the National team between 2015 and 2017. She debuted for the team against Canada in the Women’s Super Series in 2015 and followed that against both England and New Zealand. She also was the captain of the national team at the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland.

As a player and now as a coach, she has had many opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others. She has welcomed those opportunities and has helped to grow the game.

Rugby United New York Comments

“I am always incredibly grateful for any opportunity to learn and grow as a coach. This opportunity, however, is better than any I could have imagined. The staff is world class with so much experience and depth,” Faaee said. “I feel blessed to not only join a franchise that is committed to growing the game in numbers and quality rugby but also in growing the game with the support of the community and local clubs. Not only do I get to continue my journey from playing at the highest level with the Eagles, I now get to experience coaching the game I love surrounded by the best in the business. To also do this in New York, where my international rugby career started, is a huge bonus. I get to give back to the people who supported me.”

“I’ve known and worked with Tiff for three years and have always been impressed by her work ethic, attention to detail and leadership,” RUNY General Manager James English said. “She is a massive addition to our organization and I am very excited and lucky to be part of her growth as a pro rugby coach.”

Faaee will join Rugby United New York’s coaching staff during their first season competing in Major League Rugby. RUNY kicks off their inaugural season on Jan. 27, 2019 at 5 p.m. EST at the San Diego Legion. Home games will be at MCU Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. For ticket information, visit www.rugbyunitedny.com.