Vancouver Rise FC announced that head coach Anja Heiner-Møller has left the club. Current assistant coach Iain Darbyshire has been named head coach on an interim basis.

Assistant coaches Katie Collar and Erin McNulty will continue in their roles for the remainder of the 2026 NSL season.

In a press release to media, Rise FC CEO Robyn Gayle wrote, “We are grateful to Anja for her many contributions to the club, making history as an important part of Rise FC winning the inaugural Diana B. Matheson Cup.”

“This was a difficult decision and we wish Anja the very best. We have built high expectations, and it’s on all of us, staff and players, to continue raising the standards to meet them. We are focused on moving forward and making a strong push to finish the season successfully,” Gayle continued in the press release.

Heiner-Møller’s record with the Rise ended at 18W-8D-18L. As head coach, the Rise won the first-ever Diana B. Matheson trophy.

The Rise’s 2026 season started difficultly, dropping their first three matches. However, they won their next three and were continually in the fight for the fourth and final playoff spot.

But an injury-plagued squad won only the next two of nine matches, between June 14 and August 8.

Heiner-Møller’s final match as head coach was a 1-0 loss against Halifax Tides, which saw their east coast opponent’s leap frog the Rise in the NSL table.

The Rise current sit in fifth place, one point behind the Tides, with six matches left in the regular season.

Darbyshire joined the Rise at the beginning of the 2026 season, having previously been the head of women’s and girl’s football with Cardiff City FC, a position he held between July 2020 and February 2026.

With Darbyshire, Cardiff City won the Adran Premier title in 2023. Cardiff City also won four Bute Energy Welsh Cups between 2022 and 2025 as well as the Adran Trophy in 2024.

Darbyshire’s first game in charge will be on Sunday, Sept. 13, at Swangard Stadium when the Rise take on Ottawa Rapid FC.