Harlequins have confirmed that Gary Street, Co-Head Coach of the Harlequins Women’s team, has accepted the role of Harlequins Academy Coach Development Manager and DPP Coordinator, making the switch after four years with the Harlequins Women’s Programme.
Street’s co-head coach Karen Findlay, Superintendent Taskforce in the MET Police, will be continuing with the programme in the role of Forwards Coach. As such Harlequins Women will head into the next three-year iteration of the Tyrrells Premier 15s league with a new, full-time Head Coach, in line with the promising new steps being taken within Women’s club rugby.
A former England Women’s Head Coach, Street led his national side to five Six Nations Grand Slams and the 2014 Rugby World Cup title, claiming a famous tournament victory against Canada in the latter alongside current Club captain Rachael Burford, and was nominated for the BBC SPOTY coach of the year in 2014.
Under the stewardship of Street and Findlay, Harlequins have reached the last two Tyrrells Premier 15s titles and won the double during the 2016/17 season with Cup and League victories before the inception of the Tyrrells league in 2017.
Street and Findlay also led the team to break brave new ground within women’s rugby. The Club’s annual Game Changer event, a celebration of women’s rugby and sport, has twice broken the record attendance for the women’s league, and both coaches oversaw the history-making victory against Leinster Women as part of Harlequins’ annual Big Game event at Twickenham Stadium in December in front of more than 7,500 fans following the men’s game against Leicester Tigers. The fixture was the first Harlequins Women’s game to be played at the home of English rugby and created a new chapter in the Club’s history.
“It’s been a privilege, a brilliant time really,” Street said of the last three years with the Women’s side. “I think that Quins’ dream to be at the forefront of women’s rugby and women’s sport was the thing that brought me to the Club. It is fantastic how driven the CEOs, the whole board and everyone at the Club was to be part of the new Tyrrells Premiership and the way women’s rugby was going at the time.
“I’m really proud of where the Club has gotten to in terms of the international mix of players we have, the off-field structure, the amount of England players and being able to work with Rachael Burford again has just been amazing. I have been working with Burf for 20 years now!
Street continued: “I’m staying within the Club, I won’t be departing completely and will probably still be in my same favourite chair at work. I am sure I will still be doing a little bit of work, some interactions with the women’s side and the new Head Coach.
“I’m really proud to be moving on when the Club’s in a really strong place. I am looking forward to watching them from the stands with a bit less pressure on my shoulders next year!”
Street joins the Club’s Academy setup, having established the first ever National Academy project with the RFU, held various high-level coaching roles within age-grade rugby and a stint lecturing Sports Science at the University of Loughborough in the 90s.
The recruitment process of Harlequins Women’s next Head Coach is already underway, and The Club looks forward to announcing the latest addition to the women’s coaching team in the coming months ahead of the start of the new Tyrrells Premiership 15s season.
Above photo from 23rd April 2019. (l-r) Alex Austerberry Head Coach Saracens Women, Saracens Women Captain Charlotte Clapp, Harlequins Ladies Captain Rachael Burford and Garry Street Co Head Coach Harlequins Ladies pose for a photo at the Tyrrells Premier 15s Final Launch
Courtesy of Harlequins
