Our Staff
Coaching Expertise: With the enviable record of most wins and highly successful Canadian Men’s Team coach over 7 years, Shiaz was Head Coach at Olympic & World Cup, achieving the best ever finish for Canadian men at World Cup in 8th place. During his success laden years as national coach, Shiaz coached at many international events including Pan Am Games (Gold & Silver medal), Commonwealth Games, Gold Cup Australia – 1st Place, World XI Coach. Shiaz resigned as coach of University of British Columbia Men’s Team after 13 years in 2015, having won league and playoff titles for several years and then coached the Vancouver Hawks women’s Premier and Division 1 teams for two years. Shiaz has conducted coaching courses in over dozen countries around the world on behalf of FIH. He is the only Canadian coach to have coached another national team in international competition in Champions Challenge and European Cup Championships. Shiaz also coached the Canadian Women’s U21 & U23 Teams in international competition.
Qualifications Held: World Academy of Sport Certified Trainer, FIH High Performance Coach, NCCP Level 4 Certified
Playing Experience: Played at National Level in Kenya and more recently enjoying recreational hockey when possible.
Get to Know the Coach: When not coaching hockey, Shiaz loves to travel and play golf or at least follow the ball on the golf course!
Coaching Expertise: Polar Bears Head Coach since 2012 and Polar Bears Assistant Coach and Academy Coach since 2006. Andrew managed the Men’s National Team for 3 years. The events included the World Cup (Delhi, India – 2010), Commonwealth Games (Delhi, India – 2011) Pan-American Games (Guadalajara, Mexico – 2011) Champions Challenge (South Africa) and numerous other training and competition tours. Current coaches at Crofton House High School and has led the Senior Team to 4 AA Provincial Championships. Andrew is a former Provincial BC Coach and Vancouver Hawks Club Coach.
Qualifications Held: NCCP Level 3
Playing Experience: Andrew is a former Provincial BC Senior Athlete and also played at the University of British Columbia while earning his bachelor’s degree.
Get to Know the Coach: When Andrew is not on the field coaching or planning training or tours, he enjoys racing triathlons, playing ice hockey, boating and fishing. Andrew spends his free time working on new business ideas or relaxing on the ocean during the summer months.
Coaching experience:
- Polar Bears Field Hockey (2014-present)
- Won the U15 club championships and U16 junior league
- Roskill Eden Div. 1 women in Auckland, New Zealand when I was playing club hockey there (2014-2016) – undefeated regular season in 2016
- coached the Crofton House Senior 2 team for 3 years (2017-2019)
- Coached the U18, U12 girls and U14 boys at Club Egara (Barcelona, Spain) while playing for Egara (2016-2017)
- FIH Level 1 coach
Qualifications: Bachelor of Arts from UBC
Playing experience:
- UBC Thunderbirds
- Canadian U21 and Senior National Team
- Club Egara (Spain)
- Roskill-Eden (Auckland)
- WASPS (Perth)
Get to Know the Coach: Keen sports fan and enjoys playing golf.
Coaching experience:
- Polar Bears Field Hockey (2021-present)
- FHBC Coach for over 20 years
- Assistant Junior Women’s National Team for 2 years
- Assistant to Canadian Men’s Team Sydney 2000 Olympic Games
Qualifications: NCCP Level 3 Coach
Playing experience:
- 3 Olympic Games
- Most capped players in Canada
- 3 World Cups
- 6 Pan Am Games
Get to Know the Coach: Continues to play at field hockey and spectator for his 2 boys activities
Making quality players
Recent Testimonials
Choosing to move our daughter from the local program to Polar Bears Field Hockey was the best decision we made in regards to her development as a player. Competition level and the speed of the game at this level pushed players to grow. Dedicated and knowledgeable coaching from Shiaz and Arif allowed our daughter to develop her skills which has now led her to achieve her goal of attending an NCAA Div 1 school in the fall of 2022. Shiaz’s experience in dealing with post-secondary schools was pivotal in the decision making process. A big thanks to Shiaz, Arif and the Polar Bears Program!
Choosing the Polar Bears program was a pivotal moment for our family. Shiaz and Arif embraced Saylor and were crucial in her development as an athlete and as a young woman (which is too often taken for granted).The commitment on and off the field by the coaches, and senior Polar Bears players, was instrumental in developing the skills and mindset to achieve her goal of playing NCAA Div. 1 school. Having just returned from watching my daughter play for University of Maine Black Bears in her rookie season, I could not be more proud of my daughter and thankful to Shiaz, Arif and the entire club for truly enabling her to achieve this goal. The experience of playing for the Polar Bears in the Premier Division was priceless for Saylor to experience the game at speed and made transition smooth to Div. 1
Finally, I would personally like to thank Shiaz for his support of Saylor, and her parents , throughout the university recruitment process. We could not have done it without you.
I strongly encourage anyone looking at the Polar Bears program to join the club even if the drive is long (we were from Port Moody) as it was completely worth it!
Shiaz, Andrew & the Polar Bears program have been a fantastic part of our daughter’s field hockey development. They have been supportive and encouraging throughout, from starting as a Cub to giving her the opportunity to play Premier Division field hockey, preparing her for varsity field hockey. Shiaz was incredibly helpful with guidance about the different university programs, and seems to know every coach out there! We’ll always be grateful for the advice & help with university programs. Thank you Shiaz, Andrew, Arif & Polar Bears!
We are very grateful to Polar Bears Field Hockey for the amazing program it has offered Georgia! It paved the way for her journey from Grade 7 to being recruited to play NCAA Div. 1 Field Hockey. The coaches are committed and professional, and they care deeply for all of their athletes. The training sessions, US tournaments and the opportunities to play within higher divisions at a young age were instrumental in Georgia’s development and confidence. A special thanks to Shiaz and Arif for their guidance and invaluable assistance during the recruitment phase which was daunting, to say the least. We strongly recommend the Polar Bears program for any young aspiring field hockey players to learn the game, to love the sport and to enjoy the competition!
Shiaz and Arif absolutely live for field hockey! Their passion for the game is endless and a lifetime of experience is truly evident on and off the field. Their love for the game creates a dynamic atmosphere and the players are always fully engaged.Shiaz’s insight with the post-secondary recruitment process over the last few years has been instrumental in guiding us through the process of our daughter’s field hockey career. He was with us step by step and it made things so much easier for us. We are so happy to be part of the Polar Bears Family.