Claire Doré earned head coach job with Regina Riot through hard work

For the first time in the Regina Riot’s history, a woman will serve as the team’s bench boss.

Claire Doré was named the head coach for the Western Women’s Canadian Football League team ahead of the 2025 season.

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“I’m excited to take on this role,” Doré said.

“I am excited to lead this group of women. I’m excited to hopefully develop this program and have our reach expand.”

Doré is a long-time member of the program, having joined the team as a wide receiver in its inaugural season back in 2011.

“I’ve been a football fan my entire life. I knew more about tackle football from being a fan. I had played touch football for 15 years, so I had played football, just not tackle football,” Doré said.

“Because it was the first opportunity for so many women, they were interested and intrigued by what it felt like. For many of us in that particular age category, we never had that opportunity, so many women were curious. Those of us who played in those first couple of years, we all worked together a lot because we had to learn everything from the beginning – where does the equipment go, what do these pass-routes mean – and everyone was starting on the same level.”

Regina Riot head coach Claire Doré oversees a drill at training camp at the University of Regina. (Britton Gray/980 CJME)

She became the team’s receivers’ coach in 2018 and has held other coaching positions since then, serving as the team’s running backs coach and special teams co-ordinator.

Doré was also a part of the coaching staff for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders as part of the women in sport program. She is also the female U18 team Saskatchewan head coach and has been the head coach of the Balfour Bears high school program.

She said she wanted to become the Riot’s head coach as well to show that the sky’s the limit for women in sports.

“I continue to take on as many football roles as I can so that those behind me and those beside me can see that these are possible. I want these athletes I am coaching now to see this is something they can do,” Doré said.

Doré isn’t the first woman to be a head coach in the league. Kessie Stefanyk was the Lethbridge Steel’s head coach in 2015 and 2016. This season, there will be three female head coaches in the league – Carly Williams in Lethbridge and Andrea Backlund, who serves as co-head coach for the Manitoba Fearless.

The Regina Riot prepare for their 2025 season at the University of Regina. (Britton Gray/980 CJME)

Aimee Kowalski is the quarterback for the Riot, and has been playing since 2011.

“We were two of the bunch that got the team rolling, so we have been in this together. We have had different roles along the way and figured it all out. We work well together,” Kowalski said.

Kowalski said she’s glad to see Doré given the opportunity.

“It’s very well deserved and something she has worked hard towards. She’s had an interesting journey, being with the Riders a little bit and is our Team Sask. U18 coach. She has coached at Belfour. She has the résumé,” Kowalski said.

“If we have people like Claire filling these roles, we have young girls who are up and coming and seeing that it is a possibility and there is something to strive for. It keeps people here and creates a safe environment for women, and an inviting one as well.”

As the 2025 season gets underway and the Riot chases its first title since 2018, Doré said she believes the team is ready to go.

“We expect to come out and compete every single week,” she said. “We believe if we do our jobs and work as hard as much as I believe my team will, the scoreboard will take care of itself.”

She’s also excited to write the next chapter in the team’s history.

“It’s an honour. Any time you can be labelled a first, hopefully that means I am breaking a barrier or cracking a ceiling or whatever words you want to put around that,” Doré said.

“I hope that is motivation and inspiration for other people. I try not to see myself as special; I am just trying to continue to grow and improve and help others expand and elevate their level.”