This season, John is coaching the 15UG CONDORS. In addition to his role as Club President, John serves as Program Coordinator and General Administrator. John is a certified Advanced Development Coach (Level 2 NCCP) and a Gymnastics Development Coach. He also has a Development Coaching Certification from the Swiss Volleyball Federation. Aside from player and team coaching, John’s focus as President is on overall club development and growth, notably coach recruitment, effective funding and exploring new programs and opportunities to expand the future of Toronto West. John is a 1969 founding Director of Toronto West.
Byron has a long history with Toronto West, having competed on numerous Provincial Championship Teams from 2003 until 2007. After serving as Assistant Coach since 2007, Byron assumed his own team as head coach in 2015. This season, Byron is working to complete his Advanced Development Coaching Certification (Level 2 NCCP). On top of this, he has also completed his Advanced Certification in Cheerleading and Level 1 Trampoline. Byron’s outstanding coaching skills also make him an asset to other teams as a specialist trainer.
Anwar Diouman, Advanced Performance Coach (NCCP Level 3), hails from Mauritius where he coached various Men’s & Women’s club and National Teams to international success, notably winning aGold Medal at the African Continental Championship in 1996 and a 13th place in the 1997 World Junior Championship. Anwar’s past teams have experienced much success: 17U Boys Premier Champions in 2010 and Toronto West 18U Girls to Division 1, Tier 2 Bronze in 2013. Anwar is a source of guidance & support to all our coaches and teams.
Ed has been with Toronto West Volleyball Club since the early 2000’s bringing a wealth of experience and volleyball knowledge. Ed is a certified Advanced Development Coach (Level 2 NCCP) and looks back on a long and successful career of coaching both Beach Volleyball and Indoor Boys Volleyball. Ed has coached many teams at the highest levels winning Gold Medals at both Provincial and National Championships. Ed has also been very active in the Ontario Volleyball Association as a Coach Evaluator and Regional Executive.
Sierra planted her volleyball roots with the OVA in the mid-2000s and completed her volleyball career with Toronto West. The highlight of her youth playing career was competing in Las Vegas in 2014 at 18U under Coach Anwar, where she was also awarded Most Spirited Player. After graduating from University, Sierra returned to T-WEST and assisted Byron in coaching the original FALCONS until 2020. Following the completion of her MA studies, Sierra accepted the position of Head Coach of the then 14U IMPERIALS in 2021. As an adult, she currently competes in the 9-man circuit and has competed in Rhode Island, Baltimore, and San Francisco. Sierra looks forward to completing her first decade of coaching in the 2024-2025 season.
Richard has been a valued member of the T-WEST coaching team since 2014. Richard’s extensive experience as a post-secondary Libero with George Brown College and his active involvement in Asian ten-man volleyball have provided him with strong and effective leadership ability. In his role as Head Coach for the 14U DRAGONS, Richard is planting the seeds of inspiration and motivation in his young athletes’ minds.
Casandra is a 2020 graduate from Coach Byron’s FALCONS where, over five seasons, she learned the ins and outs of the game, and developed a passion for interacting with the people that make up T-WEST. Casandra is a tireless and skilled supporter of Sierra and the IMPERIALS. Casandra is also a most valued member of the coaching staff as she is always ready to assist where needed. The new season sees Casandra taking a big step up in coaching as she will share the 13UG 6v6 HAWKS with Coach Antonia.
Toni played under Coach Byron's FALCONS for five seasons until her graduation in 2020. Through her volleyball career, she developed a passion for interacting with the people that make up the TorontoWest Volleyball Club and began looking for ways to extend her experience working in sports. Toni is also engaged with the Ontario Volleyball Association in the Ashbridges Bay beach volleyball Digital Communications department, working on creating valuable content for their social media. Despite her busy schedule, Toni finds time to assist her previous coach with the 18UG FALCONS and act as the official Club Photographer. Toni has been most successful in managing, teaching, and relating to her young athletes to the extent that she bench-coached the FALCONS to a Gold medal in the 2022 Provincial Championships! The new season sees Antonia taking a big step up in coaching as she will share the 13UG 6v6 HAWKS with Coach Casandra.
Taylor found her volleyball roots with Toronto West in the early 2010’s. The highlight of her playing career was competing in Las Vegas in 2014 under Coach Anwar, where she was also awarded Most Spirited alongside fellow player and now coach Sierra. After graduating in 2018 from the University of Guelph, Taylor returned to Toronto West as an Assistant Coach with the WINGS and HAWKS before applying her marketing and business skills to supporting T-WEST in a variety of important administrative ways.
Samuel is a graduate of Coach Ed’s 2020 Golden Eagles who has returned to assist his former coach while taking a year off from his studies at the University of Guelph. Sam’s five years under Coach Ed have taught him the ins & outs of volleyball which he now puts to good use by helping develop the young player of the current Golden Eagles team. Samuel also assists with training the 15UB DRAGONS.
Alba joined Toronto West Volleyball Club as a player in 2016 where she excelled as a Libero. Following her 18U year, Alba played at the post-secondary level at Seneca College. Since the summer of 2023, Alba has returned to Toronto West where she has most successfully under taken the challenging task of assisting Coach Anwar with the training and management of two teams in one season! Not surprisingly, both teams are doing very well. Alba's ample experience and knowledge, but especially her infectiously positive spirit and high energy are a huge asset to both Coach Anwar and the twenty-three athletes under her care. Alba is most passionate about developing young athletes to have successful volleyball careers, and we look forward to Alba assuming her own team in the future!
Mara joined Toronto West Volleyball Club in 2016, where she excelled under the guidance of coaches Anwar & John. After completing her 18U season, Mara went on to graduate from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing further education to become a chiropractor. Mara has returned to Toronto West this year and will be taking on the role of assisting with the training and management of the 13U/14U boys team. Mara’s passion for sport and exercise, her past experiences as a player, and her commitment to the physical and mental development of young athletes, make us excited to have her on our team this year.
