Reed announces departure from Rogers Cup program

Swan Districts Football Club would like to thank Head Coach of the Rogers Cup team, Tayah Reed, as she announces that she will step away as we head into the 2027 season.

After three seasons at the helm of the Rogers Cup program, including leading the team to the 2026 premiership, Tayah Reed has announced she will not continue as head coach in 2027.

For Reed, the most rewarding part of coaching has always been the growth she witnessed in her players.

“Watching these girls grow, not just as athletes, but as people, has been the best part for me,” she said. “Seeing their confidence build, their personalities shine, and the incredible young women they’re becoming has meant just as much as anything we achieved on the field.”

Reed began her coaching journey when she was approached by High Wycombe Junior Football Club to take on a Year 5/6 girls team, she was handed four players and told, “off you go.” She recruited her niece and a group of primary school friends, pieced together a team, and unknowingly stepped into what would become one of the most meaningful parts of her life.

Over the following years, Reed coached multiple junior teams at High Wycombe, discovering how deeply she valued helping young girls find confidence, develop as players, and build friendships. That foundation made her move to Swans’ Rogers Cup program feel almost destined.

“When Swans approached me, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into,” she said. “But looking back, it feels like one of those moments that was meant to happen. I’d been part of the very first Rogers Cup team back when it was the Youth Girls competition, and years later I found myself coming back to coach it. It was a full‑circle moment.”

Her playing experience gave her a unique understanding of the expectations and pressures faced by young athletes, and the influence a coach can have on their lives. Reed embraced that responsibility wholeheartedly, shaping an environment where players felt supported, challenged, and valued.

“What I wanted most was to make a positive difference,” she said. “Not just in their football, but in who they are as people.”

Across her three seasons, Reed’s impact was felt not only through development and culture, but through on‑field success, culminating in the 2026 premiership, a historic achievement for the program.

“You spend so much time together across a season. Training, game days, celebrating the wins, working through the tough moments. Without even realising it, you build incredibly strong bonds with the playing group and the staff. They become such a big part of your life, and that’s what makes walking away so hard.”

“It’s not just the football I’ll miss,” she said. “It’s the people, the laughs, the memories, and the relationships that have come from it all.”

As Swans prepare for a new era in 2027, Reed’s influence, both on the program and the young women within it, will continue to shape the club long after her departure.