Dalhousie University’s Executive Director of Athletics & Recreation, Tim Maloney is pleased to announce the appointment of Cindy Tye as Associate Director, Athletics and Recreation, effective June 1, 2021.

In addition to her coaching duties of the women’s soccer team, Tye has also been the Manager, High Performance since 2018 where she was tasked with designing and implementing mentorship, education and development programs to support varsity coaches while building a high-performance model with strategic planning support for varsity teams. She was also focused on nurturing relationships with provincial and national sport organizations along with Dalhousie’s academic units.

In her role as Associate Director, she will continue to work on high-performance programming, and coach development in addition to leading varsity operations, club sport and intramural programming with a focus on delivering positive student and student-athletes experiences. She will also play a critical role in establishing departmental priorities and objectives that are committed to excellence and an overall positive student experience in the areas of wellness, fitness, and sport.

“I am excited for this new opportunity and challenge to grow within my new role,” says Tye who will continue to lead the women’s soccer team as head coach. “This past year has allowed time for reflection and has resulted in adapting the way we do things. It has opened us up to see new opportunities for positive change to keep pushing us forward. I appreciate the chance to play a part in making us better.”

Tye is currently working with Sport Nova Scotia as a mentor in the Black and Indigenous Coach Mentor program. She also serves as a mentor in the Coaching Association of Canada’s Enhanced Female Mentorship Program – a program focused on developing the expertise of high-performance female coaches across the country.

Working towards being a Master Coach Developer, Tye has recently begun work with the Canadian Soccer Association to deliver coaching courses and be assessed as a facilitator through the National Coach Developer program. 

She has international coaching experience and was named the head coach of Canada’s U15 national team in 2020 after previously working as an assistant in the U17 and U20 programs. She represented Canada as an assistant at the 2019 FISU games in Italy and is currently working as an assistant coach for the U17 national team which was in preparation for the 2020 World Cup that has been rescheduled for 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A former mentor in Sport Nova Scotia’s Female Coaches Mentorship program, Tye earned an Award of Merit from the Canadian Soccer Association in 2013 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Soccer Nova Scotia in 2005. A Competition and Development and NCCP Level 3 coach, she is currently working on completing the Coaches Association of Canada’s Coach Evaluators and Learning Facilitator programs.

“I am thrilled that Cindy will assume an expanded role within our department and continue to make significant contributions to our program,” says Maloney. “She is a leader who is ideally suited for this role and someone who makes everyone around her better. We are fortunate to have her as part of the Tiger family and are excited about the impact she will have moving forward.”

Before getting into coaching, Tye played five seasons (1990-1995) with the Acadia Axewomen, earning a CIAU championship with them in her first season. The 1994-95 AUAA women’s soccer MVP, she led Acadia to two AUAA conference titles and was chosen as their female athlete of the year in 1994 and 1995. She was an AUAA all-star in all five seasons she played, earned two CIAU all-Canadian nods and was the AUAA rookie of the year in 1990-91. A three-time academic all-Canadian, Tye graduated with a Bachelor of Physical Education from Acadia in 1995 before completing a Master of Education at Mount Saint Vincent University in 2009.

Tye joined Canada’s national program as a player in 2001, staying for two seasons. She was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 2010, is a member of the Acadia Sport Hall of Fame and has been named to the Truro Sport Heritage Society’s Honour Roll.