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From the first days of the Valley Royals, the philosophy of the Club has been to create a core of qualified, enthusiastic and skilled coaches whom the Club would support strongly in their coaching. Over the years, coaching has always been one of the strengths of the Valley Royals, with skilled coaches covering the spectrum of events in track & field.

From the club's beginning, Gerry Swan has served as the Royals head coach. Swan’s philosophy mirrored those of founding President and current director Paul Anderson’s in that he knew it was vital to assemble a group of certified assistant coaches that could, in a responsible manner, tap the potential of the athletes under their charge. The strength of the coaching staff is self evident as all of the Royal coaches have developed athletes that have been represented on BC and Canadian teams.

Current Valley Royals Coaches are listed below:

Gerry Swan is a Level 4 Certified Coach that has been involved with track and field for a very long time. During his career as a coach, Swan has developed more than 25 athletes that have represented Canada internationally and has served himself as a coach on a number of international teams. At present, Swan coaches a group of young middle distance runners. In addition, he serves on the BC Athletics Senior Track and Field Planning Committee, conducts Level 2 middle distance clinics and writes various articles for track and field publications. Coach Swan holds most of his training sessions at Rotary Stadium.

Harold Willers has rejoined the Royals as the club’s throws coach. A four time Canadian Champion (1981 to 1984) in the hammer, Willers brings a wealth of experience and coaching expertise to the event area. In the past he has coached a number of athletes who have represented Canada internationally. One of these athletes was Wes Boudreau, a former Canadian Junior Champion in the hammer who won several medals at the NCAA Championships and represented Canada at the World Junior and Pan American Junior Championships. In addition to his coaching duties with the Royals, Harold will also assume the duties of Throws Coach for the Fraser Valley Regional Center.

After a three-year absence, Ziggy has rejoined the Royals as both a club and Fraser Valley Regional Center coach. Ziggy, who is a graduate of the Polish institute of coaching, has a vast background in the jumps, hurdles and sprint events. He has developed a number of fine athletes and was Michael Mason’s coach during his high school developmental years. Ziggy will be concentrating on developing the outstanding group of young athletes in the speed/power discipline.

Tom Dickson is a Level 3 Certified Coach who coaches many top ranked sprinters and hurdlers. Tom serves on the BC Athletics Senior Track and Field Planning Committee, conducts Level 1 clinics in sprints/hurdles and serves as a coach for numerous provincial track and field teams. Tom conducts most of his training sessions at either Burnaby Central High School or Simon Fraser University.

Larry has obtained Level 2 Certification in almost all of the track and field disciplines. A knowledgeable and enthusiastic coach, Larry runs a comprehensive program that encompasses and develops a wide range of track and field skills. His emphasis is placed on fun first, skill building second and success in competition third. It is a combination that seems to work as the youngsters in Larry’s group seem to thrive on the program and many of them proceed successfully to the juvenile age division of track and field competition. Larry conducts his training sessions at Rotary Stadium.

After serving a number of years under the guidance of the JD coordinator, Larry Neilson, James has now assumed responsibility for this age division. James is an enthusiastic coach who inspires young athletes to be at their best. James’ program includes skill development, physical fitness, and recreational games. Under James and Larry’s guidance the club’s JD system is in good hands.

Sue Northey is in the process of completing her Level 4 Certification with the aid of a Women In Sport scholarship. She serves as the middle distance/distance coach for the Royals Abbotsford division of runners. A graduate of McMaster University, Sue captured nine conference medals and four Canadian University Championship medals while attending that school. In 2001 Sue was inducted into McMaster’s Hall of Fame. Sue has served as a BC Head Coach for the Canadian Legion Championships and the Canadian Cross Country Championships. She has also acted as a Canadian Coach at the World Cross Country Championships.

Brit is a Level 4 coach who in addition to her duties as a Royals coach is the Head Coach of SFU’s Track and Field Program. A former international who was a finalist at both the World Championships and Olympic Games, Brit has been successful in developing a strong distance running program at SFU. She has helped improve a number of middle distance runners that include Heather deGeest, the BC Juvenile record holder at 800 metres and a finalist in 1500 metres at the World Junior Championships. Other good middle distance athletes that Brit coaches include Desneige McLean, Carleen Daniel and Carolyn Murray. Brit’s coaching sessions take place at SFU and other tracks or parks in the Coquitlam/Burnaby area.