Ottawa, Ont. – Softball Canada is pleased to announce the coaches who will lead the next U23 and U18 Men’s National Team cycles, appointing Doug Allin (Peachland, B.C.) as Head Coach of the U23 Men’s National Team and Mark Quinn (Mermaid, P.E.I) as Head Coach of the U18 Men’s National Team.
“We are very pleased to have Doug Allin and Mark Quinn back at the helm of our U23 and U18 Men’s National Team programs” stated Gilles LeBlanc, Manager of Operations at Softball Canada. “Their previous cycles were severely impacted by the pandemic, and we strongly believe the experience and knowledge they have gained will be tremendous assets to our National Team programs as we continue to strive for gold-medal results.”
Doug Allin (Peachtree, B.C.) returns as Head Coach of the U23 Men’s National Team after leading the team at the inaugural U23 Men’s World Cup in Argentina in 2023, where Team Canada secured fifth place. With extensive experience as both an assistant coach and video analysis scout with the Men’s National team program, Allin brings a wealth of knowledge garnered from multiple World Cups, including a gold medal win in 2015 and bronze medals in 2017 and 2019. A seasoned player himself, Allin competed at the Senior Men’s level across various championships and has a robust background coaching minor girls’ and senior men’s softball teams. Notable accolades include winning the Sport BC Coach of the Year President’s Award in 2020 and he is currently serving on Softball Canada’s Coach Development Committee.
Mark Quinn (Mermaid, P.E.I) will also return for his second cycle as Head Coach of the U18 Men’s National Team program, building on a successful previous year that saw bronze medal victories at the Pan American Championship in Sincelejo, Colombia, and the WBSC World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico in 2023. Quinn’s coaching journey traces back to New Zealand before returning to P.E.I. in 2008 where he held coaching positions at various levels, including Canada Summer Games, Men’s, U21 Men’s, U16 Girls’, and intermediate School teams. Recognized for his coaching accomplishments, Quinn received the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) Community NCCP Coach Developer award in 2018 and was named Sport P.E.I.’s Coach of the Year in 2023. He is also a member of Softball Canada’s Coach Development Committee.
Softball Canada and its newly appointed head coaches will now focus on building a pool of coaches to support both the U23 and U18 Men’s National Team programs, and scout major tournaments and Canadian Championships throughout the 2024 softball season.
A U23 Men’s Pan American Championship is expected to be held later this year which will serve as a qualifier for the 2026 U23 Men’s Softball World Cup, while the U18 Pan American Championship is currently slated for 2025 and will be a qualifier for the 2027 U18 Men’s World Cup.
