Calgary Wild head coach Leah Blayney granted leave of absence

CALGARY — Calgary Wild FC head coach Leah Blayney has been granted a leave of absence to attend to a private family matter, the Northern Super League club announced Friday.

The Wild said in a statement they “fully supports” Blayney and asked for privacy.

Blayney, a former Australian midfielder, was hired by Calgary on July 6 following an 0-7-2 start under assistant Sinead McSharry, who served as interim head coach after Lydia Bedford left earlier this year to work with England’s under-23 team.

The Wild have lost all four matches with Blayney in charge.

Assistant coach Kory Babington, who was only hired last week and is also Australian, will take over on the sidelines in her absence.

Calgary, which went 9-14-2 in the NSL’s inaugural 2025 season, hosts AFC Toronto (6-4-3) on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2026.

The Canadian Press