Nadia Doucouré
Topic: The Journey to Becoming Coach’s Assistant with the RedBlacks
A circuitous path to the CFL took Nadia Doucouré from France, her country of birth, to Ottawa. Nadia was hired as an offensive quality control coach with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2023 and later as Coach’s Assistant. She is now one of only two full-time female coaches in the CFL.
Nadia’s early experiences with football in France led her to be named Technical Advisor of France’s National Federation of American Football. Later moving to Canada, she joined as a slot receiver with the Saskatoon Valkyries, a full-contact team in the Western Women’s Canadian Football League. In between games and work, she also started coaching girls, studying and learning Canada’s unique football rules.
Nadia moved to Ottawa and was hired as a position coach for receivers with Football Ontario, the provincial sport organization designed to help develop athletes, coaches and referees. Then, she took a job with the Carleton Ravens as offensive assistant and assistant receivers coach, becoming the first woman to coach with the program.
That experience led Nadia to the professional ranks when she was invited to guest coach during the Redblacks’ training camp. The team hired her as a scout, a part-time job she did while still coaching with the Ravens, eventually hiring her in 2023 on the coaching staff.
