The Soccer Hall Of Fame, The 11th Induction

VAUGHAN, ON — The Soccer Hall of Fame will induct its 11th class on the evening of Saturday June 5th, at the Liberty Grand in Toronto. The 2010 induction class includes the following people and teams:

BUILDERS
Stuart Brown – Coached Edmonton Angels to nine Women’s National Championships
Brian Avey – Long time Executive Director of the Ontario Soccer Association

Brian Avey
Brian Avey graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration in 1978 and was appointed The Ontario Soccer Association’s first Executive Director that same year. He oversaw the organization grow from a modest sport in those days to the largest sport organization in Canada by 1996. Brian played a leadership role, steering the organization through the integration of youth and senior soccer, establishing indoor soccer and mini soccer back in 1981 and moving the sport to centre stage, hosting two World Cup Champions: Italy and Germany, and FIFA’s inaugural World Under-16 Championship in 1987.

Throughout his 25 year term of office he built an infrastructure that became the envy of sport, with District Branch Offices, Club Head Coaches, using the latest technology and over one–third of the total certified coaches in sport. Brian was a big proponent of female participation – only 15% back in 1978 and 50% at his retirement. Brian always pushed the sport to develop sound strategic plans elevating Player Development to an integral component of planning, advocating Training Centres, a Pyramid for Play and spearheading Canada’s first full size indoor facility and home for soccer known as The Soccer Centre.

Brian served on behalf of the sport on numerous government task forces ranging from funding, technology and events to volunteer screening. Brian appreciated the importance of the largest work force of volunteers in Canada, creating a Soccer Conference to recognize their achievements and to facilitate networking. The history of the sport became another passion Brian’s, and with long time associate William Hoyle they founded The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. Brian was recipient of the CSA’s President Award back in 2002. Away from the boardroom Brian coached all four of their children in mini soccer and lead his daughter’s high school team to the OFSSA silver medal. Brian and his wife Wendy of 32 years reside on the west coast where their children relocated, now serving as General Manager of a Golf Club, Curling Club and Squash Club.

Born: February 9, 1954

Stuart Brown
Stuart Brown has coached the Edmonton Angels to an incredible nine women’s National Championships in his 33 years with the club, and along the way has been recognized with a string of awards. His tenure as coach of the Angels began in 1980 and his team won the first ever National Championship two years later when the Angels beat London Concorde in the final. The team was presented with the Jubilee Shield, and the Angels repeated as champions in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986, five years in a row. Championships in 1988, 1995, 1999 and 2000 followed.

However, Stuart’s coaching career has not been restricted to just the women’s game. He began his coaching career at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1977 as head coach of the men’s soccer program and enjoyed 17 years of success at NAIT from 1981 to 1991. His record at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference was: 45 wins, 6 losses and 9 ties. Along the way his team won seven gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Along the way he also led his team to the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association championship in 1987/1988 and won bronze the year before and the year after.

In the area of women’s soccer, Stuart was asked to coach the Ajax team in 1978 and for two years led them to the league and cup championship for both indoor and outdoor. That led him to the Angels in 1980 where many victories and championships later, he is still coaching the Angels as head coaching co-ordinator for the club as well as coaching both the premier and major classics teams.

After high school, Stuart chose to work as a dental technician. After moving to Canada from Scotland in 1977, he became an instructor of dental technology specializing in orthodontics at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Stuart has also been involved with the Edmonton Scottish Society for 25 years and has been President for eight of those years. During that time he has been instrumental in converting the grounds at the Society from one soccer field to six. The facility has hosted the World Masters Games and the 2007 Under-20 World Cup.

For his endeavors he has been recognized with the Edmonton Women’s Soccer League Coach of the Year Award, six Alberta Coaching Excellence Awards, six City of Edmonton Coaching Excellence Awards, the Sports Alberta Coach of the Year Award, the Edmonton and District Soccer Association Coach Recognition Award and the CSA Award of Merit. He was also inducted into the inaugural Edmonton and District Soccer Association Wall of Fame as Coach and Builder in 2008.

Born: St. Ninian’s Stirlingshire, Scotland, 1948

PLAYERS
Silvana Burtini – 38 goals for Canada
Gordie Ion – Member of Canada’s first Men’s World Cup Team
Dr Walter Thompson – Member of Canadian Team that toured Britain in 1888

Silvana Burtini
Silvana made her international debut for Canada against Sweden in the North American Cup competition in Minneapolis on July 5, 1987. She went on to play for her country a total of 78 times, scoring 38 goals in her international career. In 1998, playing in a CONCACAF competition against Puerto Rico, she most famously scored eight goals in one half, in a 21-0 Canada victory. In 1988 she was a member of the Canadian team that played in a FIFA tournament in China, which was a test run leading up to the staging of the first FIFA Women’s World Cup. She was a regular for Canada on the biggest stage, appearing in three FIFA World Cup Tournaments, 1995 in Sweden, and 1999 and 2003 in the U.S.

She began her career in her home town of Williams Lake, B.C. at Columneetza Senior Secondary School during the 1986-87 season. She then moved on to play for the Capilano College women’s team, where she was a CCAA all-star, and Capilano College Athlete of the Year. She represented British Columbia at the Under-18 and senior levels and was a silver medalist at the Western Canada Summer Games in 1987.

Her club soccer in Canada was played with Nanaimo Regal Tigers from 1989-90, Surrey Marlins from 1991 to 1997, winning the Jubilee Shield gold medal in 1991, 1992 and 1993. At UBC with the Alumni team from 1998-2000 she appeared in three more national finals, winning silver medals in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

In 1999 she joined the Raleigh Wings of the U.S. W-League and was a member of the National Championship team in 1999. In 2001 she moved on to the Carolina Courage of the U.S. Women’s Professional League.

Silvana was CSA Player of the year in 1998, and nominated for Sport B.C. Athlete of the Year in 1999. In 2004 as a police officer in B.C. she was presented with the British Columbia Police Award of Valour for saving a life. Starting in 2005 she was named one of FIFA’s Ambassadors for Women’s Football.

Born: Williams Lake, B.C. , May 10, 1969.

Gordie Ion
A member of the Canadian national team in World Cup qualifying in 1957, he played in the first game against the United States in Toronto, assisting on three of the five goals Canada scored. He also played in the first game against Mexico in Mexico City. While still at school, he was offered trials with Tottenham Hotspur and Dundee United, but his father wouldn’t let him go to Britain.

As a member of Vancouver North Shore United he was named Rookie of the Year in the Pacific Coast League during the 1952-53 season and was awarded the Ed Bailey Trophy. He was named Athlete of the Year by both the Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers. In 1953 he was a guest player when Westminster Royals beat Chicago Falcons for the North American championship, scoring twice in a 5-0 win for the Royals. He played for the B.C. All-Stars against the touring Irish F.A. team in 1953 and in the second game scored the winning goal for B.C. from the penalty spot. In 1954 he played for the B.C. All-Stars against the touring Glasgow Rangers, and followed that with two games against Huddersfield Town in 1955. There were also single games against Aberdeen in 1956 and an upset win over Tottenham Hotspur in 1957.

He was a member of the Vancouver North Shore squad that reached the final of the Canadian Challenge Cup in 1954, and played for North Shore in the 1957 final and scoring his team’s only goal in a 2-1 defeat to Montreal Ukraina. In 1962, towards the end of his career, he was a member of the Vancouver Firefighters team that won the John F. Kennedy Cup, by beating a Mexican select team in the final. The Kennedy Cup was competed for annually in the 1960s by teams along the west coast of North America.

On retiring he coached Burnaby Cliff Avenue United and still assists his son, Greg, who was a member of Canada’s 1986 World Cup squad.

Born: Vancouver, B.C., August 26, 1934.

Dr Walter Thompson
We will never really know how good a player Walter Thomson was, but by all accounts, in his time he was something very special. Thomson was born in Toronto in 1868, attended Upper Canada College, then Galt Collegiate Institute and finally the University of Toronto. He played for Canada against the United States in New Jersey in 1885 and captained the teams that went to Britain in 1888 and 1891. When his playing days were over he became the second President of the Ontario Soccer Association and served in that capacity in 1902, 1903 and 1904. He was also Honorary President in 1901 and 1909 and Honorary Vice-President from 1905 to 1908.

But it is on the field where he really made his mark. In his book “The Blue and White” a history of sport at the University of Toronto, T.A. Reed writes, “Among all there is none so worthy of mention as Watty Thomson. For several years the genial ‘Watty’ was the life and soul of Varsity Football. As a player, he was nothing less than a miracle of speed, accuracy and artfulness; as a centre forward he was a model of unselfishness and a phenomenal shot at goal; as a captain he was an inspiration and an ideal to his men. We never shall look upon his like again.”

Writing in the Toronto Globe in January of 1892, William A. Ellis, the manager of the 1891 tour to Britain writes in the Tour Manager’s report. “Thomson was our best forward, and in fact our best man. When he first joined the team he played rather selfishly, but soon dropped this. At the time he left he was playing a perfect centre-forward game and one which could hardly be beaten by any player. At that time there were probably no two centre-forwards in England better than he. He could have played with either Bolton Wanderers or Preston North End had he chosen.” This is one of several reports of his being offered contracts with Bolton and Preston.

Thomson played 25 games on the 1891 tour and scored 19 goals. The record for 1888 is incomplete but he played 21 games and scored at least 10 goals. Around Ontario he always seemed to be in great demand. He played for the Western Football Association team in St. Louis in 1884, and in Fall River in 1887. He was in the Canadian team against the United States in an international match in Aylmer, Ontario in May of 1888, and again in Berlin in June of 1891. He also played numerous games for all-star teams in the Caledonia Cup.

In addition to soccer, Thomson played varsity football and hockey, and from 1893-1894 he was the president of the hockey club. Upon retiring as a player he became a MD and practiced in Toronto for 35 years.

Born: Toronto, Ontario in 1868. Died: Toronto, Ontario, January 8, 1932.

PIONEER AWARD
John Russell – President of the Dominion of Canada Football Association -1925-1931

John Russell
John Russell devoted a life time to the administration of soccer in Canada and in British Columbia in particular, starting with the Vancouver Athletic Club, and continuing with the Lower Mainland Football Association, the British Columbia Football Association and the Dominion of Canada Football Association.

He came to Canada in 1905 and played with the Vancouver Athletic Club 1907-1912 before becoming the club secretary. In 1913 he was named to the executive of the Vancouver and District Referees Association. During the turbulent years before 1920 which saw a battle between the proponents of professional and amateur soccer, he aligned himself with the amateur side and became president of the B.C. Football Association in 1920. He represented the BCFA during the debates which led to B.C. joining the national governing body for the first time in 1921. From 1921 to 1925 he was first vice-president of the Dominion of Canada Football Association and then served as president until the 1931.

During another period of turmoil in B.C. soccer he was called upon to be a member of the commission formed by the DCFA to run the game on the West Coast, and remained a member of the commission from 1933 to 1939 and again from 1953 to 1957. When the DCFA was reformed in 1946 following World War Two, John Russell became secretary for one year.

In all John Russell devoted at least 44 years to the administration of soccer in Canada, including many years at the top levels of the game. He was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 1966.

Born: Edinburgh, Scotland, April 2, 1895. Died: Vancouver, B.C. December 21, 1964.

TEAM OF DISTINCTION
Toronto Metros-Croatia – NASL Champions in 1976

1976 Toronto Croatia-Metros
In 1976, Metros-Croatia were the first Canadian team to become Champions of the North American Soccer League. They secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Minnesota Kicks, under joint coaches Domago Kapetanovic and Marijan Bilic (having started the season with Ivan Marcovic) after winning both the Divisional Championship and Conference Championship away from home.

They came into existence in 1975, with the merger of the Toronto Metros and Croatian interests, under owners Dick Bezic and Bruce Thomas and eventually became the Toronto Blizzard.

Metros-Croatia played a very attractive, Central European, short passing game and became unbeatable after the signing of Ivan Grnja. The team also featured Portuguese superstar Eusebio, and several other European internationals. In fact, players from 12 different countries featured on the roster. Goalkeepers Paolo Cimpiel and Zelijko Bilecki, defenders Damir Sutevski, Filip Blaskovic and Robert Iarusci and midfielders Mladen Cukon, Gene Strenicer, Carmine Marcantonio and Teddy Polak all played key roles as did forwards Ivair Ferreira, Ivan Lukacevic and Bruno Pilas.

ORGANIZATION OF DISTINCTION
The Vancouver Firefighters, national champions on four occasions between 1965 and 1990 will also be honoured in a new category that recognizes organizations that have excelled over a long period of time.

Vancouver Firefighters
The first to be recognized as the Organization of Distinction are Vancouver Firefighters, formed in the early 1950s & winners of the national championship in 1965, 1973, 1983 and 1990 and beaten finalists in 1961.

In addition, the Firemen won the B.C. provincial championship nine times and the J.F. Kennedy Cup, the west coast championship, twice in 1962, by defeating a Mexican all-star team and then again by beating the Los Angeles Selects 6-0, with Art Hughes scoring five goals.

The team was twice named B.C. Sport Team of the Year, and five Firefighter players have been individually inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame.

MORE ON The Soccer Hall of Fame
Induction Criteria
Induction Banquet