Member Monday - Douglas Royals

The Douglas Royals were a founding member of the PACWEST in 1970 when the Conference was known as the Totem Conference. That was also the year Douglas College was founded.

The College has two major campuses in Metro Vancouver; New Westminster and Coquitlam. The Royals athletic teams play out of the New Westminster gymnasium while their soccer program plays at the Town Centre Park in Coquitlam.

Douglas College is named after Sir James Douglas, Hudson’s Bay Company Chief Factor and Governor of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, and husband of Amelia Connolly, a Métis woman of Cree ancestry.

He is often described in popular histories as the “Father of British Columbia.” He shaped, and was shaped by, a 19th-century imperial world that was diverse, dynamic and deeply exploitative.

Today the institution is the largest degree-granting college in British Columbia enrolling close to 25,000 students per year. With both major campuses on the SkyTrain lines, the College is one of the most accessible institutions in Vancouver. Plus, Douglas features three smaller training centres in Surrey, Burnaby and Maple Ridge.

Douglas offers the most bachelor’s degrees and post-degree programs of any college in BC. Each year, close to 17,000 students (including 4,210 international students from over 92 countries) take for-credit courses. Because of the college’s strong academic base, the majority of these for-credit courses transfer to different research universities in BC and across Canada, providing students with flexible pathways to reach their academic goals.

The Royals athletic department has enjoyed great success in the PACWEST since the beginning. Their first Conference medal was silver in the women’s volleyball season in 1977-78. The Royals struck gold three times during the 1985-86 season for their first Conference championship banners as they captured the men’s volleyball and basketball titles along with the women’s basketball championship.

The athletic program at Douglas has grown into one of the best across the country behind the vision of athletic director Brian McLennon since 2014. He is a former student athlete himself playing basketball at the University of PEI and with the Royals. The men’s soccer team welcomed him to the office with a PACWEST gold medal that season. He has also been part of the PACWEST Executive for the past five years and is the current VP of Marketing.

As the program grows there has been more specialized support for the student athletes including strength and conditioning coaches and athletic therapy. One of the major benefits to the Royals athletic program is that each team has a Mental Performance Consultant to support the mental wellness of the student-athletes, and student-athlete leadership group.

The Royals have been fortunate to see many exciting moments since their birth in 1970. In 2016 they hosted the men’s volleyball national championship, then two years later the women’s soccer nationals. Perhaps the most special year for the Royals thus far was the 2016-2017 PACWEST season as they caught fire winning four Conference championships, then followed that up with three CCAA national silver medals; men’s soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s basketball. The year was capped off with a CCAA gold medal for the men’s curling team.

Each and every season the Royals teams are contending for a PACWEST medal and once play resumes in the fall there is no doubt that will continue.

Quick Douglas Facts:
Enrolment – 25,000
Location – 700 Royal Ave, New Westminster
President – Kathy Denton

Inside Athletics:
Brian McLennon - Athletic Director
Sean Velasco – Athletic Communication Coordinator
Laura MacMillan – Athletics Coordinator
Nick Murray – Head Athletic Therapist

Current Head Coach:
WSC – Chris Laxton
MSC – Robby Toor
WVB – Jeff Ross
MVB – Jay Tremonti
WBB – Steve Beauchamp
MBB – David Petroziello

Outstanding Alumni:
Rachel Beauchamp – WBB (All-Time Scorer and Rebounder)
Adelina Paul – WBB (All-Time Assist Leader)
Cam Wilson – MSC (All-Time Goal Scorer)
Grant Campbell – MBB (All-Time PACWEST scorer)