Soccer, Builder, Inducted 2018 |
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A young boy’s love for football, as the grand game is known outside of North America, put Newcastle’s Alan Errington on a journey that took him to heady heights and a lot of different soccer stadiums. At the age of 23, Errington visited Vancouver and was enticed by the area’s beauty and the potential to grow the game in Canada. An injury while playing premier soccer in Richmond sent him to the sidelines, where his knowledge of the sport’s ebbs and flows led to a coaching career.
His first volunteer position was with Killarney minor soccer, where he enjoyed sharing his passion for the game. It was followed by a coaching position with the Vancouver Whitecaps, working with head coach Tony Waiters on the 1979 North American Soccer League championship run, and later the Vancouver 86ers, where he oversaw a 46-game undefeated streak.
For Canada, Errington carried the flag as a staff coach for the 1984 youth men’s CONCACAF tournament, and a year later at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Russia. In 1986 he found himself as a staff coach with Canada’s first and only World Cup team. His commitment to the sport led him to coaching duties with the Canadian Youth team, Olympic teams and at the club and university levels.
Errington was inducted, alongside members of both the ’79 champion Whitecaps and ’89 86ers, into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. It’s our pleasure to welcome him to his hometown Hall of Fame.