Joe Costello has made tremendous strides with the Lions women’s rugby team since becoming head coach of the program in 2009.
He won the OUA Russell Division coach of the year award in 2015, marking the second time in a row, and third in four seasons, that he was recognized with the honour (also 2012). In addition to building the Lions into a perennial playoff team in the OUA Russell Division, he has also created one of the strongest 7’s programs in Ontario, taking the team to rugby 7s competitions in Las Vegas, New York City and Langley, B.C., over the past four years.
Costello also has significant international coaching experience. In 2014 he was an assistant coach for the Canadian team that won the gold medal at the rugby 7’s world university championships in Brazil, and in 2013 he served the same role with the squad that won the bronze medal at the FISU Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia.
While he has enjoyed his own international success, Costello has also developed several Lions who have gone on to represent Canada as well. In the last five years, there have been four student-athletes selected to Canada FISU 7’s team, four to the Canada U20 team, five long-listed for the Canadian senior women’s team, four invited to be part of the Ontario Regional Development Program for Canada’s senior women’s 7’s team, one selected to play for the Canadian team in a match versus England and one centralized with the Canadian senior women’s 7’s team.
He is also the head coach of the Niagara Rugby Union girls U17 rep and 7s teams that won gold and bronze medals, respectively, at the Ontario Summer Games.
In addition to competing within OUA, Costello has committed to providing the opportunity for York’s student-athletes to be exposed to 7s rugby, which was added to the Olympic program in 2009 and will make its debut in 2016. The Lions have had four athletes chosen to represent Canada at the last three FISU 7s events, and three athletes selected to represent Canada for the U20 15s teams over the past two competitions.
Costello served as the coach of the Ontario U18 team for the 2011 National Rugby Festival. He led the Ontario team to an undefeated tournament and was the only junior coach from Ontario, male or female, to claim a national title for Ontario in 2011. The summer prior he served as the backs coach for the Ontario senior women who claimed silver in the national final.
Costello, who has completed the Comp-Dev course work for certification, has been heavily involved in the Fergus Highland RFC over the past 14 years both as a player and a coach at various levels, and he has participated as a coach in various clinics throughout Southern Ontario.
On the field Costello was a talented interuniversity rugby player, winning provincial gold and silver medals with the University of Western Ontario. He also won two NRU championships with the Highland Rugby Club. He played for the Niagara Thunder of the Rugby Canada Super League (RCSL) and has played in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean.
