Ben Josephson named Head Coach of Canada’s Men’s Volleyball Team

Volleyball Canada has found their head coach for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

On Tuesday, Trinity Western University men’s volleyball coach Ben Josephson, was named the head coach of Canada’s senior men’s team.

“It’s been a bit overwhelming the last couple of days with the outpour of support and people excited about volleyball Canada and team Canada,” said Josephson.

Josephson has always dreamed of coaching for team Canada, and now, finally has the chance to.

“I actually got the call when I was with my family at Disneyland,” said Josephson. “The happiest place on earth got a little bit happier. It’s a dream come true.

“Ever since I got into coaching, the idea of coaching Canada has always been at the top of the heap. Nothing’s bigger than coaching your team and trying to go to the Olympic games and win the first medal for Canada.”

Josephson has had an incredible stretch as head coach of the Trinity Western Spartans since his duties began in 2007. Josephson has led the team to five national championship titles and has qualified for the U SPORTS championship tournament 1 times.

Josephson has also led the Spartans to five Canada West championships and have reached the conference final in nine straight seasons.

“My first championship was 2011,” said Josephson. “We’ve won 5 in my career so far, and COVID-19 cost us one, maybe two,” he said with a laugh.

This season has been no different. The Spartans are currently the number one ranked U SPORTS team across the country

“We have a bunch of really hungry athletes ready to get after it,” said Josephson. Not only has the team dominated in Canada, they have also gained experience playing teams from around the world. 

“We got an opportunity to represent Canada at the Pan-American cup in the Dominican Republic,” said Josephson.  “All the Canadian teams were unable to go, and as the defending champs from 2019, we got the invite.”

That wasn’t the only playing time the team spent on the road.

“We had this two-week gap in our schedule and the American NCAA teams all invited us down to come play,” said Josephson. “We got to play teams like UCLA, USC, Long Beach State and some of the powerhouses down there.”

The Men’s Olympic team certainly has a coach who knows what he’s talking about and has been named the Canada West Coach of the Year and U SPORTS Coach of the Year three times.

Josephson is no stranger to coaching Canadian players either. In fact, he and his coaching staff have built the TWU roster almost entirely from Canadian talent, with only two international players on the roster.

“Good people make good Spartans,” said Josephson. “We found the best players we could find that fit our style and our way from all over the country. You mix all of them up in a pot and see if it tastes good, and so far, it’s been pretty good.”

Not only is he a good coach, but he also has something many coaches often lose over the years. The love for the game.

“I have three kids at home, and there’s not a lot of reasons to leave home that I’m excited about but coaching my volleyball teams is one of them.”