BURNABY, B.C. -- Breanne Watson will be taking on an important new role in the senior leadership of Canada's NCAA Team. She has been chosen as the new Director of Athletics & Business Operations for SFU Red Leafs Athletics.

She brings sporting experience from around the world to this role, after previously serving as the department's Associate Director, Athletics since 2017. In her time on Burnaby Mountain, Watson has demonstrated passionate leadership and strategic vision in overseeing SFU's NCAA Division II varsity programs. She provides direction to 16 varsity sports, serving as each program's principal sport administrator.

Her responsibilities include supervising full-time head coaches and staff, managing program portfolios, athletic budgets, home event operations, international travel, scheduling, contracts, statistical reporting, social media and team apparel.

Every year, she collaborates with multiple departments to execute more than 100 events, across multiple venues with approximately 50,000 spectators. Varsity ticket sales revenue has increased by 169 per cent under Watson through innovative strategies and effective implementation.

Additionally, SFU has earned praise for successfully hosting post-season events, such as the 2023 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball Championships, and the 2018 NCAA Division. II Men's Soccer Championship – Super Region II Tournament.

Watson plays the lead role in coach hiring decisions, contract negotiations and ensuring the overall success and development of Canada's only NCAA athletic programs, which are comprised of approximately 300 student-athletes.

In Watson's time at SFU, Red Leafs athletes and teams have earned:

• 311 All-America selections
• 39 Academic/Scholar All-America selections
• 19 conference Coach of the Year selections
• 22 conference Player of the Year selections
• 15 conference team championships
• 58 NCAA team championship appearances
• 10 individual national championship event wins

Her coaching hires have included:

• Carlo Basso, who coached the women's soccer program to its only two GNAC titles and NCAA tournament appearances in his first two seasons
• Barnaby Craddock, who became the ninth head coach in SFU men's basketball history in May 2025
• Stacy Fournier, the 2025 GNAC Softball co-Coach of the Year after improving the Red Leafs' winning percentage from .262 to .490 in one season, and leading SFU to the conference championship game
• Clete Hanson, Head Coach, Men's Wrestling, fills the newly created role complementing the Women's Head Coach to support student-athlete and program development. Hanson coached Team Canada at the 2025 U20 Pan American Championships in Peru and was selected for the 2025 NWCA CEO Leadership Academy.
• Krysta Schaus, who won the following honours in her first season as interim head coach in 2025: GNAC Women's Golf Coach of the Year, GNAC Men's Golf co-Coach of the Year, GNAC Women's Golf Championship, and GNAC Men's Golf Championship
• Demone Tissira, the 2025 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Women's Swimming Coach of the Year, who guided the program to its best-ever team finish at the NCAA championships in 2025

Watson was one of just 10 people selected to take part in the prestigious 2025 NCAA Division II Athletic Directors Association Women and Minorities Mentoring Program, which will run for an entire year starting in the summer. Watson will be paired with a sitting Division II athletic director who will serve as her mentor.

Additional notable achievements for Watson include leading SFU Athletics & Recreation in historic multi-million-dollar apparel partnership negotiations with Nike Team/Team Litzen, securing significant sponsorship for the university.

Watson also guided the department's athletic brand redesign and relaunch, prior to co-chairing the SFU Varsity Team Name working group, which spearheaded the selection of a new, inclusive team name for varsity athletics.

She chaired SFU's "Return to Play" committee during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group's important work included a carefully staged timeline with phased implementations requiring sign off from University Executive Leadership and the Fraser Health Authority.

Watson secured a $50,000 (USD) NCAA Division II Coaching Enhancement Grant for SFU (2023). It was one of only 20 grants issued among 300 universities

She previously served on the NCAA Division II Regional Advisory Committee for Men's Golf and the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for the GNAC, further showcasing commitment to promoting equity in athletics. Most recently, Watson was a member of the GNAC logo re-brand committee.

Beyond SFU, Watson actively contributes to the broader sports community, serving on Basketball BC's board of Directors as a Vice-President, member of the Finance Committee and Chair of the High-Performance Committee. She also previously served as the U17 Girls Provincial Team assistant coach (3x) and coached for the association's High Performance girls program. Watson is a USA Basketball Gold licensed coach and NCCP Train to Compete (Level 2) certified. Annually, Watson provides colour analysis for live broadcasts of the BC High School Girls Basketball Championships.

Watson played four seasons of professional basketball in Europe after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Washington. As a player for the Division I Huskies, Watson was a three-year starter and a three-time PAC-10 Conference All-Academic Honourable Mention. She led Washington to the NCAA Tournament three times.

During her playing career, Watson, a graduate of Richmond's R.A. McMath Secondary School, also represented Canada at various international events, including the 2003 and 2005 World University Games.

In 2024, Watson completed her Master of Education degree in Leadership at SFU, where her thesis was nominated for the prestigious Margaret Haughey Master's Award.