Vancouver Whitecaps FC hires Manitoban

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This article was published 19/11/2018 (2851 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer have hired Paul Thompson, a Maples Collegiate graduate, to help run their Mainland Academy Centre.

Thompson will be the Mainland Academy’s associate head coach and technical programs manager. 

Whitecaps FC runs three levels of programs — the first team (that it, its MLS squad) and the programs associated with it; a full-time academy for boys and girls U15 to U19; and an academy centre network for players between the ages of nine and 18 across all of Canada.

Thompson will provide support for the technical operations of the club’s regional and provincial academy centre programs. 

The job will include strategic planning, on-field coaching support and the creation of centralized programming in the Mainland centres. He will also lead projects and events hosted in Vancouver.

Thompson first got involved with the Whitecaps through Manitoba Soccer Association, which had a partnership with the club for three years. 

“We found him to be unique because he has the ability to be a great coach on the field but also a good organizer off the field, technically,” said Dan Lenarduzzi, director of soccer development for Whitecaps FC. 

“He is able to bring programs together with standards and the formats that really help us. We feel he has both the on- and off-field qualities to help us continue to grow our academy in Vancouver and across the country.”

Thompson will continue to work with players on skills and technique development while also working with staff and partners across Canada to build program structures and standards.

“I’m really excited. I was born and raised in Winnipeg and had a lot of experiences there and worked with a lot of good people, but it’s always exciting to come to a new environment with new people and take a new role and challenge yourself to do the best you can in that environment,” Thompson said. 

“I’m very excited to be a part of a club that… is really invested in youth development and community development.” 

Thompson will be based in Vancouver. 

“As we grow our academy in Vancouver, there’s more of a need for organization and standardization of how we run our programs. So Paul’s technical operations background off the field will be a big help for us in that area,” Lenarduzzi said.

“We think that above all, we obviously try to look for very talented people, but we also want people that have the personality and character to show what our club is about at the same time. We deal a lot with parents, and a lot of the programs that we have are very collaborative with the associations and organization and Paul has a really good skillset in that area, so we are really excited in having him with us.”

Thompson has a UEFA A coach’s licence and worked with the MSA for four years as its technical programs co-ordinator. He played soccer for the University of Winnipeg, where he earned kinesiology and education degrees.

He said he hopes to help the players understand the value of the sport.

“You show them the way that you see things, and if they see value in that because you gave them a reason to see value in that, then I think more people will come on board. I like to use logic when I’m coaching and trying to explain this is why we want you to do this technique, or we want you to try things this way, it’s because it leads to this,” he explained. 

“For me is always about making sure the players understand why they are doing something and how it’s going to benefit them.”