Vancouver Rise FC says it has parted ways with sporting director Steph Labbé after deciding to remove the position as part of its 2027 planning.
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Vancouver Rise FC has parted ways with its first-ever hire, sporting director Steph Labbé, the Northern Super League club announced Friday.
In a statement, interim president Aditi Bhatt said the decision follows the club’s planning for 2027. “As part of our planning for 2027, we made the difficult decision to remove the sporting director position, and as a result Steph has concluded her time at the club,” Bhatt said.
Labbé acknowledged the change in an online post. “While this is not how I envisioned my time at Vancouver Rise FC coming to an end, it's clear with the club's new direction, it's time for me to look forward,” she wrote.
She added that the role had been meaningful for her personally and professionally: “It's been an incredible privilege to help shape the club, contribute to the growth of women's professional soccer in Canada, and to have built the group that made history as the inaugural NSL champions,” Labbé said.
The Rise won the first-ever NSL championship title last season. This season, the club is in the playoff race and currently has an 8-win, 11-loss and 4-draw record.
Labbé is a former goalkeeper who became an Olympic heroine at Tokyo 2020, stopping two penalties in the gold-medal game shootout against Sweden to secure Canada’s first Olympic soccer title. She also won bronze with Canada at Rio 2016 and appeared in three World Cups.
She retired from playing in 2022 and was hired as the Vancouver Whitecaps general manager of women’s soccer that same year, helping launch the NSL.
Labbé’s departure comes after another coaching change. Rise head coach Anja Heiner-Møller was let go last month and replaced by assistant Iain Darbyshire, according to the club. Rise chief soccer officer Robyn Gayle will continue to lead the club’s sporting department.
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