RNRU Appoints New RN Women's Head Coach

The new head coach for the RN Women's team is Lt (Dominic ‘Bali') Salisbury RN.  Bali will take over from Lt (Sam) Cuff RN who has moved over to the Navy Sharks team as well as being appointed as the Head Coach to Bath RFC Women's team, a great opportunity to expand his coaching portfolio.

Bali is thrilled to take up the appointment and has already met with the Women's TSG and some of the players during the build up to this year's Army v Navy game. He said; ‘I am absolutely thrilled to be given this opportunity to coach at the representative level, it will be a new challenge for me but one I am relishing. I am currently involved with the Naval Medics team as a player, manager and coach at US Portsmouth, but this will give me an opportunity to help develop the women's game in the RN.'

Andy Kellett, DoR, said ‘Bali was one of a number of people who expressed an interest in coaching at the representative level, he is qualified, keen and enthusiastic to help players improve and reach their potential and I am sure he will be an asset to the RN(W) and wider RNRU coaching community'.  Andy also added ‘There are a couple of other posts still to be filled for next season and I will be talking to possible candidates in due course. However,  I would encourage all qualified coaches to get involved at all levels of coaching, so that we can ‘grow' a community of experienced coaches for future representative coaching positions'

Lt (Dominic ‘Bali') Salisbury joined the Royal Navy in May 1991 and was a keen player from an early age, moving to coaching more recently. He completed the WRU Level One and Level Two rugby coaching courses at the Cardiff Blues and Newport Gwent Dragons regions in South Wales. Last year he was fortunate enough to be mentored on the Level One course by the current coach of the Wales Women's Rugby team, additionally he has coached every age group from U7s to U15s at various clubs including Chobham, Penycraig, Ystrad Rhondda and United Services Portsmouth where he currently coaches the US Portsmouth U15s team. Bali represented the Royal Navy U21s and more recently the Royal Navy Medical Services in the Medics Inter-Service 2012 match against the Army Medical Services. He also plays for United Services Portsmouth RFC.

Bali is a member of the Royal Navy Medical Services and has been fortunate enough to have served in two submarines and the Fleets Flagship HMS Ark Royal. A qualified Operating Department Practitioner he has completed two tours of Afghanistan and a tour of Iraq providing primary and secondary care to local and coalition casualties.