Westshore Rebels announce new head coach

Victoria, BC, Canada – After the Westshore Rebels Head Coach, J.C. Boice unexpectedly stepped down, General Manager & VP of Operations Jonathan Poppitt has been on the search to find an experienced coach to fill his shoes.

“We had a couple of great candidates which made our decision a difficult one, says Poppitt. We wanted to make sure that the new Head Coach would have a good rapport with players and could continue the success that J.C. helped create over the past two years.”

Westshore Rebels are happy to announce Charly Cardilicchia will be the new Head Coach. 

Coach Cardilicchia’s love for football started as a young boy playing minor football in Victoria. He joined the Rebels team for their first season as the Rebels and scored the first touchdown. After four seasons he moved on to play for the University of Manitoba for three years. His achievements include BCFC all-star, 3-time Cullen Cup finalist, and Rebels Team MVP.

Player turned coach, Cardilicchia brings over 19 years of coaching experience to the team. During his time as coach for the Saanich Wolverines Junior Bantam team they secured 12 championships, earning him the life-time achievement award from the Greater Victoria Minor Football Association. He was also the Head Coach of the Junior Bantam Renegades who won the 2016 Provincial Championship. Coach Cardilicchia has volunteered much of his time to football in Victoria over the years and also has 5-years’ experience as the Rebels Offensive Coach so he knows what it takes to win. 

“One thing I do know is that great Coaching starts with surrounding yourself around a team of specialists who have extensive experience in their respective areas. My job is to bring the right people together to ensure the team gets the support and coaching needed to bring the best out in each player,” says Cardilicchia.

Shane Beatty, a strong candidate for Head Coach, has decided to take some time to decide if he wants to continue as Assistant Head Coach and Director of Player Development, as he continues to focus on the development of the Westshore Training Academy.

Coach Cardilichhia is hoping to continue to work with Shane Beatty as he brings extensive coaching experience to the team and has made an impact on player development. He is also excited to be working with many new and returning Assistant Coaches that will round off their highly experienced coaching staff.  

New Assistant Coaches:

  • Tim O’Neil, Offensive Line Coach (part-time) recently retired from the BC Lions and played for the University of Calgary
  • Rob Smith, Offensive Line Coach formerly played for the Manitoba Bisons 2013-2014
  • Andy Garmin, Defensive Line Coach former Rebels Coach 2005-2007 & 2010-2011
  • Randeep Desi, Defensive Assistant played for the Manitoba Bisons 2008-2009
  • Tyler Woods, Defensive Assistant played for the Rebels 2007-2008
  •  John Cardilicchia, Special Teams Coordinator and Defensive Assistant, former Rebels Coach 1998-2002, 2010-2012, and Defensive Coach University of BC 2014-2015
  • Terry Houngbo, Running Back Coach played for the Rebels 2013

Returning Assistant Coaches:

  • Luke Michaud, Offensive Assistant
  • Mike Williams, Assistant Offensive Line Coach
  • Phil Slater, Defensive Assistant
  • Rudy Fjeldstad, Defensive Assistant
  • Trevor Slater, Offensive Assistant
  • Tyler Nickel, QB/Offensive Assistant 

“Our coaching staff is going to continue to be strong this season and we look forward to building a winning team that will take us once again to the Cullen Cup and the Canadian Bowl”, says Doug Kobayashi, President of Westshore Rebels.

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