Conquering the coaching world

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This article was published 10/03/2015 (4104 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rob Gale’s passion for the beautiful game is infectious.

Talking to The Lance over coffee recently, Gale — or Galey, as he’s known in the soccer world — is as enthusiastic about his involvement with his daughter Hadyn’s Bonivital Flames U9 development side as his current role as the head coach of the Canadian men’s national U20 team.

The 37-year-old started in the role on April 1 last year. He previously coached the U16 and U18 men’s teams and still works with the U18s. Gale also worked with the U17 team at two FIFA World Cups and was the technical director of the Manitoba Soccer Association from 2006 to 2014.

“We’re lucky we’re in this region, as Bonivital is the strongest team in the city in terms of numbers,” Gale said, noting he helps out with the club’s academy and technical board, as well as coaching his daughter’s team.

“It’s so much fun. At that age, it’s all about having fun and developing skills. There’s no ego to it at all. They do warm-ups to music like One Direction and Justin Bieber and some of the questions they ask are off the wall,” Gale said.

“While I’m there, I’m just Hadyn’s dad and that’s the best bit about it.”

In terms of his day job, Gale is privileged to have been given the chance to help shape the careers of the nation’s next generation of soccer stars.

“I love the job. First and foremost, it gives me the opportunity to work from home. It’s everything I expected it to be and it’s a great age group to work with, as they’re trying to break into the senior men’s team,” Gale said.

“I have an absolute passion for what I do. Every day is a joy. I enjoy the sessions and I enjoy working with the players. I’ll be brutally honest if I need to be and I don’t sugarcoat anything. It’s easy to throw it all away and the players who really want it will challenge themselves. You can teach them life lessons, but they ultimately have to find their own path.”

The diehard Arsenal FC fan also highlighted some cultural and generational differences between the current Canadian soccer landscape and growing up in his native England.

“I grew up in that soccer culture where there was almost something wrong with you if you didn’t want to be a soccer player when you grew up,” Gale said.

“When I was learning the game in England, soccer had a drinking culture. You’d go to the pub with your teammates. If you do that now, it ends up on YouTube and is an overnight sensation. Plus, more things in the game are monitored now. You can monitor everything, such as a player’s heart rate.”

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and this is true in Gale’s case. He was born in Zambia, as his dad, Mick, was coaching soccer there. His mom would travel back and forth to England on a regular basis, so Gale spent the first five years of his life between Africa and Europe.  

Gale signed associate schoolboy forms with Fulham FC on his 14th birthday and later trained with Wycombe Wanderers FC aged 19. It was there that Gale developed an interest in coaching due to the team’s manager, Alan Smith, who subscribed to the “total football” mantra pioneered by the great Dutch teams.

It was during this time that Gale also continued his education, leaving the University of Luton with an honour’s degree in media production (and a minor in broadcast journalism).

“Growing up as a player, I got into the countyside and I was captain of my school team. As a young guy, I was sure I would make it as a professional, so I’m glad I pursued my education. I’ve always had other plans and interests,” Gale said.

Gale, however, was not necessarily planning on falling in love in 2000, when he met his wife, Erin, who had a summer job at the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association.

“She severed her pancreas while playing soccer at Glenlawn and went through a life-saving operation. I became her part-time nurse and I think that was the making of us,” Gale said, noting Erin grew up in the Island Lakes and Southdale areas.

His wife is no slouch on the soccer field, either, as she won a gold medal with the U14 Flames at the 1991 nationals, Gale said.

“She still rubs that in my face,” Gale said with a laugh.

While working in various director of soccer and academy roles in North America, Gale enjoyed a distinguished playing career in Winnipeg, turning out for Lucania FC from 2001 to 2008 and Sons of Italy between 2009 and 2012.

And now, Gale is fully focused on one of the most important coaching jobs in Canadian soccer.
“It’s given me the opportunity to try and build and develop a philosophy and a culture. I want to leave something behind that’s sustainable,” he said.

Living in Winnipeg has its benefits, too.

“I really enjoy the city. There’s no traffic compared to back home and it’s a great cost of living. It’s also the world’s smallest city in terms of separation, especially in the soccer community. Winnipeg is full of good people who rally around each other,” Gale said.

“I love living in Sage Creek, as there are lots of young families there. We’ve lived there since the first phase.”

When asked who his favourite player is, it’s an easy choice for Gale.

“Paul Gascoigne,” he said without hesitation.

Gascoigne, a former England midfielder, became a household name in his homeland after famously bursting into tears on the pitch during the 1990 FIFA World Cup semifinal between England and Germany after receiving a yellow card, which meant he would miss the final had England made it.

“He was really the footballer of my generation. I met him several times and he was larger than life. What a character. I’ve never seen anyone up close with that kind of ability,” Gale said.

“He was a good person and everyone loved him. Gazza always made time for all kinds of people. He would always have time for an autograph or a picture. Not enough people in the game are like that, unfortunately.”   

According to Gale, aside from his dad — who has a UEFA Youth A Licence and also coached the inaugural University of Winnipeg teams for two years — all but one of his siblings is also involved in the game at some level.

His sister, Karen, took her UEFA Licence and is married to John Peacock, coach of the England U17 men’s soccer team and the Football Association’s director of coaching; his brother, Steve, also took the UEFA A Licence course; and his sister, Joanne has her UEFA B Licence.

Another sister, Juliet, is the odd one out in this respect.