Kerrisdale Soccer Club
History

Soccer in Kerrisdale has had a long and distinguished history. Early teams were organized through the churches and Dairyland where free chocolate milk was given out at half time. It wasn't until 1961 that a soccer club was formally established. That year saw the creation of the Kerrisdale Soccer and Athletic Society as part of the Kerrisdale Athletic Association, with a group of community volunteers acting as the Board of Directors. The first Board chair was Eric Lauritzen. The new club was affiliated and supported by the Kerrisdale Community Centre. Two young soccer enthusiasts, Allan Dawson and Grant Turner coached and managed the early teams. The Kerrisdale Athletic Association continued as the governing body until 1993 when it was formally named the Kerrisdale Soccer and Athletic Society.

In the early years Kerrisdale Soccer was primarily a boys' soccer club. The goal was to provide boys in the neighbourhood a total soccer experience from the youngest Pee Wee level to the highest level of Division 1. By the 1970s both boys and girls from the ages of 7 -16 played soccer for Kerrisdale with a club membership of over 500. The highlight for many players was the yearly exchange to Seattle. This exchange went for over 20 years from the early 70s to the 1990s.

The philosophy of Kerrisdale Soccer was always and still is that the club shall provide an opportunity for every boy and girl that joins the club to play soccer and to benefit from the recreation, team work and sportsmanship that evolves from the game of soccer

While the goal of the Club was to provide fun, fitness and lessons in good sportsmanship was the goal of the club, great successes on the field were a by product. During the 1970s the Kerrisdale Chargers under the very capable hands of Hugh Meikle, were four time Provincial Champions, Western Champions and in 1975 the team of 14 year olds were National Champions. The Chargers were the youngest team to be nominated for Sports Team of the Year in BC and made a commercial for Coke at Elm Park in 1975. The Kerrisdale Roadrunners followed the Chargers' lead and through the late 70s and early 80s, coached by Tom Routledge, John Blair and Mike Dumoulin, won 3 Provincial Championships and 2 National Championships. From this team, player John Catliff went on to play for Canada 43 times and became tied for second for scoring the most goals for Canada. During the early 1980s the Kerrisdale SW Marine Dolphins coached by Ian Craig were finalist in the 1982-83 Canadian Nationals after winning the Provincial and Western Championships. In the 1990s the Kerrisdale Cobras coached by Mark Brkich, won the Pioneer Cup and were Provincial Cup Finalists. In 2000 the Kerrisdale Spurs, under Allen Brown and Greg Jones won the Vancouver Cup, Coastal Cup and Provincial B Cup. They continued on, winning the Vancouver Cup in 2002 and 2005. In 2004, the Kerrisdale Athletic, under Coach Peter Macdonald began their run with Commonwealth Cup and Vancouver Cup wins. Many more teams have done very well and won cups and leagues throughout the years. Kerrisdale Soccer players have also made up the core of various winning High School teams. In 2004, Magee High School won a Bronze Medal in the AAA High School Boys Soccer Championships. The majority of the players were from Kerrisdale Soccer.

While Kerrisdale Soccer started out as a boys' soccer club in the early 60s by the 1970s girls wanted to play. John Spencer organized the first girls' soccer teams for Kerrisdale. In 1975 he became a founding member and the first president of the Vancouver Girls Soccer Association. The first year of the league, Kerrisdale fielded seven girls' teams. In 2002, Vancouver Girls amalgamated with Richmond Girls to create the Vancouver Richmond Girls Soccer Association. In 2008 the Vancouver Richmond Girls disbanded and the Vancouver Girls joined the Vancouver Youth Soccer Association, the governing body for youth soccer in Vancouver.

Girls' soccer has been a very strong component of Kerrisdale Soccer since the 1970s. Andrea Neil, the most capped player in Canadian womens soccer, with 132 caps and 4 World Cup appearances, started out in Kerrisdale Soccer in the 1970s. Her Kerrisdale Club team, The Express, after winning the Sun Bowl and the Provincial Cup, lost the U17/U18 Canadian Championships in 1989 in a very tight over time battle. The Express was coached by Laurie Ricou and Nick Potis. Laurie is still involved with Kerrisdale today coaching the Kerrisdale sponsored Vancouver U18 United as well as at the provincial and national level. Many strong players came from that team who played both provincially and professionally. In the 1990s girls' soccer continued to thrive in Kerrisdale. The Kerrisdale Hornets who became the Kerrisdale Heat, ably coached by Nick Glen and David Robinson, were the Provincial B Cup Winners in 1998 going on to be Coastal Cup Finalists in 1999, 2002 and the Gold Lower Mainland Champions in 2003. During the 2000s, various teams had winning seasons. The U18 Kerrisdale Chaos, coached by David Robinson, was finalists in the Provincial B Cup in 2006. The U18 Swarm, coached by Bob Paterson were Provincial Cup Champions in 2007, the U17 Kerrisdale Lighting, coached by Brock Rowland and Chris Waters, Vancouver Richmond Cup Finalists in 2007, and the U12 Coyotes, coached by Dave Bingham and Kevin O'Malley, won the Silver Division in Vancouver Richmond in 2008. Again Kerrisdale Soccer players have made up the core of the local High School teams. In 2005 Point Grey High School won the Gold medal in the AAA High School Girls Soccer Championship and in 2006 won the Silver medal. Many of the girls on those teams played for Kerrisdale Soccer.

Throughout the years there have been many volunteers who have given a great deal of time and effort towards the success of the Club. In the 1970s Ed Legge turned from coaching to organizing the club structure. Other key early volunteers were Jim Ireland, John Routledge, Tom Routledge, Gile Dawson, Don Climie and Dave Howden. During the 70s and 80s Peter Littlewood, Nick Scharfe, Len Wall and Doug Woods, were key individuals in keeping the club strong. Our Club is blessed with long time volunteers that have been involved with the club since the 1970s creating a living history easily called upon and a depth of commitment not often seen. A long time volunteer of the club, Dave Howden, is honoured and commemorated by a bench at the corner of East Blvd. and 43rd Avenue for his long history and involvement with the club. In the 1990s Carol Wiens took the reins of the club. Carol was an excellent president and devoted so many hours to the club and to soccer in the province she was given a special award by BC Soccer in honour of her incredible volunteer commitment. Carol turned the presidency over to Suzanne Anton in 1998. Suzanne, along with many others, led the club in organizing for a new turf field. In conjunction with Dunbar and Point Grey, Kerrisdale Soccer was able to help finance the new turf field at Point Grey High School. This was a perfect fit as it is in the heart of our neighbourhood. As Suzanne became more involved with politics, Allen Brown stepped forward and became president in 2003. Allen was a strong supporter of the club. After Allen, Michael Demner became president. A long time coach and coordinator, Michael was instrumental in continuing to open the lines of communication between the neighbouring clubs. Our current president Paul Chapman is bringing a new group of parents into the soccer fold. He is committed to his community and Kerrisdale Soccer. Once again we are blessed with a strong and vigorous volunteer group.

Kerrisdale Soccer has always had great referees, starting with Allan Johnson and Doug Woods. In the 1970s there were 28 men and women referees officiating for the club. We still have an excellent referee program headed by long time volunteer John Carr. Kerrisdale has also been instrumental in providing excellent leadership in the greater soccer community with many of the board members going on to chair and sit on the Vancouver Youth Soccer Association and in the past the Vancouver Richmond Girls Soccer Association.

From that first official team in 1961, Kerrisdale Soccer now fields anywhere from 80 - 100 teams per year. We are one of the largest clubs in the City providing excellent opportunities for all level of players. We are an inclusive community run by volunteers who dedicate their time and effort for the betterment of all the players. Having produced some of the finest players in Canada we are just as proud to field recreational teams of players trying their hardest to have fun, get fit and enjoy the comradery of the beautiful game.

Kerrisdale Soccer Club - Presidents