{"id":701342,"date":"2026-04-03T06:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/701342\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T06:09:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:09:15","slug":"carly-clarke-becomes-first-canadian-coach-of-toronto-tempo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/701342\/","title":{"rendered":"Carly Clarke becomes first Canadian coach of Toronto Tempo"},"content":{"rendered":"

The WNBA is set to make its official debut in Canada as we head into the 2026 season, with the Toronto Tempo ramping up operations ahead of an uber-condensed offseason. While the impact of the WNBA\u2019s 14th franchise will mostly be seen on the court, as Canadians show up to watch the best women\u2019s basketball players in the world play nightly right at home, there has been a palpable off-court shift as well.<\/p>\n

With a new team comes new jobs, new opportunities and pathways that just didn\u2019t exist for Canadians before. Sure, some make the move to the United States and make their mark that way. Yet, for the first time in WNBA history, some opportunities allow Canadians to make an impact while being able to stay right at home.<\/p>\n

Carly Clarke, one of the Tempo\u2019s assistant coaching hires, has the distinction of being the first Canadian coach on the WNBA\u2019s first Canadian team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last month and a half has certainly been a whirlwind in every facet, from [Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)] to Team Canada to now here,\u201d Clarke said in an exclusive interview with The IX Basketball. \u201cI\u2019m trying to take some moments to soak it in. [Being the first Canadian coach], that\u2019s something that\u2019s definitely not lost on me, and something that I\u2019m taking great pride in and responsibility in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before being announced as part of Sandy Brondello<\/a>\u2018s coaching staff, Clarke spent 14 years as head coach of the TMU women\u2019s basketball program. Alongside her role at TMU, Clarke has also been a long-time coach within the Canada Basketball program, both with the age-group teams and on the Senior team. Now, she takes her skills to the professional level, stepping into a role within the WNBA for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have absolutely loved my time at the university level,\u201d Clarke said, \u201cbut I am excited for the challenge of working around the best in the world every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cBecoming Caitlin Clark\u201d<\/strong> is out now!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Howard Megdal\u2019s newest book is here! \u201cBecoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar\u201d captures both the historic nature of Clark\u2019s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.<\/p>\n

Clarke has definitely seen her new head coach, Sandy Brondello, in action, as Australia and Canada have met often in FIBA basketball. She\u2019s also seen the WNBA\u2019s best on occasion, when Canada has matched up with them at international tournaments. The idea of getting to game plan for A\u2019ja Wilson<\/a> or coaching against someone like Natalie Achonwa<\/a>, and for that to be her full-time job, is what excites Clarke about this new phase of her career.<\/p>\n

As the Tempo get ready to hit the court, this new hire represents another rising trend: expanding opportunities for Canadians in the basketball job market. Before this year, the only chances for Canadian talent to get a gig for a Canadian professional basketball team were either with the Toronto Raptors, their G-League affiliate Raptors 905, or in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). But, those are all men\u2019s basketball teams. There have been few to no chances for Canadian talent to work in the women\u2019s basketball space and be able to stay in Canada.<\/p>\n

The Tempo changes that.<\/p>\n

Toronto\u2019s team is leaning into their distinctly Canadian identity, as well. From Canadian hires like Clarke, to branding themselves as \u201cCanada\u2019s team,\u201d to playing home games in Montreal and Vancouver. The Tempo aren\u2019t just a WNBA team in Canada, they are a Canadian WNBA team. The Tempo represents a new era in Canadian women\u2019s basketball culture \u2014 where there is a future for anyone, on the court or off, to make an impact.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong> Vancouver shows up for the WNBA in the last Canada game before Toronto Tempo debut<\/a><\/p>\n

The impact that having a Canadian WNBA team may have on USports (Canada\u2019s university sports league, which TMU plays in) could be great, and Clarke believes the representation will inspire the next generation of Canadian hoopers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the U.S., the NCAA has so many eyes, media attention and financial resources behind those programs \u2014 that machine is incomparable to what we have in USports,\u201d Clarke says. \u201cI think the exposure to a team in the best league in the world, to the best players in the world, is just going to create more interest in basketball in general, and subsequently, that\u2019s going to elevate the level of our game here in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

That elevation of talent stretches to coaches as well, and Clarke notes that USports has \u201csome of the best coaches in the world\u201d in every sport, basketball included.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the WNBA season ahead, Clarke (like most Torontonians when asked this question) is excited for the Tempo\u2019s home opener. To see the culmination of years of hard work and anticipation finally be celebrated and present. There\u2019s also a ton of excitement to welcome players and fans to Toronto for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m probably biased here, having lived here for a little bit, but I truly believe that Toronto is one of the best cities in the world,\u201d Clarke says. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most diverse cities in the world. It truly has something for everyone. The food, the summers in particular, are incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women\u2019s Sports Daily<\/strong>
<\/strong>
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women\u2019s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women\u2019s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!<\/p>\n

As Clarke also notes, the appetite for women\u2019s sports is palpable in the city as well. The PWHL\u2019s Toronto Sceptres often play to sold-out crowds, both at Coca Cola Coliseum (the venue they will share with the Tempo) and down the street at the Raptors\u2019 and Toronto Maple Leafs\u2019 home of Scotiabank Arena. Canada\u2019s Northern Super League has also introduced women\u2019s soccer to Toronto, and AFC Toronto will be playing half its games at Toronto FC\u2019s bigger home field this season due to increased interest. The Tempo are joining a crew of established women\u2019s sports franchises in the city.<\/p>\n

The growth of women\u2019s basketball in Canada means that while Clarke is the first Canadian coach on the Tempo\u2019s staff, she won\u2019t be the last. The impact this team will have on opportunities for women in sports will only continue to grow as the Tempo itself integrates fully into the league.<\/p>\n

The anticipation of the Tempo\u2019s tip-off continues to build as the franchise prepares to welcome its first players during Friday\u2019s WNBA Expansion Draft. <\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The WNBA is set to make its official debut in Canada as we head into the 2026 season,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":701343,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[49],"tags":[274047,292969,19708,62,76705,67,132,68,232],"class_list":["post-701342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-canada-basketball","tag-carly-clarke","tag-sandy-brondello","tag-sports","tag-toronto-tempo","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-wnba"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116339288839762503","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}