CSA Appoints New Head Coaches

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Soccer Association today announced the appointment of Len Vickery as the head coach of the newly-formed Women’s Under-17 Team and Stuart Neely as head coach of the newly-formed Women’s Under-19 Team. The CSA also announced Lewis Page will serve as an assistant coach to both teams. The appointments are for the year 2000.
The appointments come on the heels of a FIFA announcement to launch a Women’s Under-18 World Championship to be held in 2001 or 2002 at the latest. A national training camp for Under-17 and Under-19 will be held jointly in Burnaby, BC from May 1-7.
Vickery, 45, is currently the senior provincial coach with the Alberta Soccer Association and was the Director of a combined National Training and Alberta High Performance Centre from 1985-1999. A summary of Vickery’s coaching experience includes coaching Alberta’s squads at 10 CSA All-Star National Championships, two Canada Summer Games as well as two Dallas International Youth Cup competitions. He recently coached the U-15 and U-17 Girls to Gold Medals at the 1998 and 1999 CSA National All-Star Championships and coached the Alberta U-20 men’s team to a bronze medal at the 1997 Canada Summer Games.
Vickery also coached the Edmonton Brick Men of the Canadian Soccer League in 1988 and 1989.
He has been the head coach of the University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s soccer team since 1985. The Golden Bears finished second at the 1999-2000 CIAU National Championships for the fourth time in the past six years under Vickery. They also placed third in 1988-89.
Vickery also had a successful playing career, spending three seasons at Dalhousie University (silver medal at the 1976 CIAU National Championship). A native of England, Vickery had three years of professional training at Middlesbrough Football Club and played semi-pro in the former Northern League in England. After graduating from Dalhousie with a M.Sc in Physical Education he continued his playing career with the Calgary Springer Kickers (1980-84) and the semi-pro Calgary Outlaws.
“I’m extremely honored to be invited by Even Pellerud (Women’s World Cup Team head coach) to begin the necessary groundwork for preparing Canada’s young female soccer players in their quest to play at the full national senior women’s team level,” said Vickery, who is a CSA “A” License Coach.
Neely, 32, has been the Director of Player Development with the Ontario Soccer Association since March, 1997 and recently served as an assistant coach to Women’s World Cup Team head coach Even Pellerud at a training camp in Vancouver, BC. Neely has an extensive coaching background having begun his career in 1988 as head coach of the Scarborough United Women’s All-Star program. He became the head coach of the Centennial College Women’s team in 1994 and was named Ontario and Canadian College Coach of the year in 1995. In 1998 he was named the head coach of the Eastern Canadian National Team. He has served as a technical observer with Canada’s Men’s Under-17 Team at the 1998 CONCACAF Championships and with the Women’s World Cup Team at the CONCACAF Championships in 1998. In July 1999 he coached the Ontario U-19 Women’s Team to a national championship.
A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Neely earned his Canadian A License in May 1997. His playing career has seen him compete in the Premier Ontario Soccer league, the Canadian Indoor Soccer League and the National Soccer league (Rexdale Rangers).
“I think it’s great that the youth program is up and running with respect to the female game,” said Neely. “With the addition of Even Pellerud to the women’s program and the dedication the CSA has given to the women’s game, we are headed in the right direction. I am ecstatic about the appointment and I’m looking forward to our first camp when we can begin to prepare players for the World Cup squad.”
Page, received his B License in 1996 and is one task away from completing his requirements for his A License. He has served as the Technical Director of the Prince Edward Island Soccer association since 1995 and was the head coach of the UPEI Varsity Women’s Team in 1996 and 1997. He has been an assistant coach with the UPEI Men’s Varsity team since 1995. Prior to joining UPEI, Page acted as head coach with the Dartmouth United Soccer Club (1993-95) and the University of King’s College Men’s Varsity Team (1991-1992).
As a player, Page was a three-time All-Canadian at St. Mary’s University and was named the MVP of the AUAA Conference in 1994. He played professionally with the Nova Scotia Clippers of the Canadian Soccer league in 1991 and trained with Port Vale of the English Third Division in 1986-87. In 1986, he toured Mexico with the Canadian National Youth Team.