Toronto FC welcomed The Soccer Hall of Fame’s 2009 induction class today before its Major League Soccer match at BMO Field. The four players, three builders, Pioneer Award winner and members of the 2009 Team of Distinction were all celebrated before the opening kickoff between Toronto FC and MLS opponent Los Angeles Galaxy.



The Soccer Hall of Fame’s class will be formally recognized this evening at the 2009 Induction Banquet at the The Club Link Country Club in Woodbridge, ON. Neil Ellett, John Limniatis, Joan McEachern and Mike Stojanovic will be inducted as players while Colin Jose (historian), Bob Sawtell (referee) and Derek Wisdom (administrator) will be inducted as builders.

Mike Stojanovic may have been an unknown when he first arrived in Canada, but it didn’t take long for him to prove he was a step ahead of everyone else on the pitch. In his first season with the Toronto White Eagles in the National Soccer League, he scored an impressive 52 goals and led his club to a regular-season championship.



“I was strong, very quick,” says Stojanovic. “You give me half a step and I’m gone.”

Neil Ellett was a credit to his country. A steady defender that played in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he wore Canada’s colours seven times at the “A” level plus an additional 12 times at the amateur/Olympic level.



“I guess I was the type of (player) that you didn’t recognize too much,” says Neil Ellett. “In the most cases I was a defender, either in the back, or Frank (coach Pike) quite often had me as a front sweeper. So I was more of a destroyer than a creator.”

Joan McEachern can take pride in the recent success of the women’s national program. After all, she was one of the early pioneers that paved the way for what is now one of the best programs in the world.



“Those first couple of years, you would go to a camp and you would play some games,” says Joan McEachern. “As the program evolved, it became much more. Even though we worked full time (in non-soccer jobs), soccer also became a full-time job.”

John Limniatis was a formidable player in his time, making 44 appearances for Canada’s national team between 1987 and 1997. For what he says he lacked in physical prowess, he made up in technique and understanding.



More than anything, it was his character that ensured him a long career at both club and national levels.

Nkem Ezurike has won the IKON Female Team Athlete of the Year award at this year’s IKON Sport Awards presented by Sport Nova Scotia. Ezurike was one of three soccer award winners at this year’s event, joined by Official of the Year Shauna Poirier and Team of the Year Halifax City Salty’s women’s soccer.



This past year, Ezurike won a bronze medal at the 2008 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship and a gold medal at the 2008 BMO National Championships. She won the bronze with Canada in July and the gold with Halifax City Salty’s in October. She then represented Canada at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup New Zealand 2008 in November, leading the team with two goals and helping the team reach the quarter-final stage.

The Soccer Hall of Fame celebrated its 10th annual Induction Banquet on Saturday night at the Club Link Country Club in Woodbridge, ON. Four players, three builders, one Pioneer Award winner, and one Team of Distinction were celebrated in front of friends and family.



Canadian Soccer Association President Dr. Dominic Maestracci was on hand to offer his words of thanks and congratulations to the inductees and the Team of Distinction. He also formally presented the Association’s Life Membership award to the The Soccer Hall of Fame’s founding chairman Bill Hoyle.