Langford, BC – (February 14, 2024) – Pacific FC today announced the hiring of Victoria native and former Canadian Para Soccer standout Trevor Stiles as the club’s goalkeeping coach ahead of the 2024 Canadian Premier League (CPL) season.
Stiles, 42, will work with Pacific’s ‘keepers Emil Gazdov and Sean Melvin this coming season. He brings significant experience to the role as the founder of Victoria-based goalkeeper academy Keeper Culture, which works out of Lakehill Soccer Association’s Braefoot Park location to develop, and create opportunity for, young netminders on Vancouver Island.
“Trevor comes to us with great passion for nurturing local talent,” said James Merriman, Head Coach, Pacific FC. “He has built a great network in North America and is well respected within the goalkeeper development industry.”
Canadian-born Stiles was raised in Los Angeles until a move at the age of 12 to Victoria, where he played for Metro, now known as the Vancouver Island Wave Program. He went on to represent British Columbia provincially from the age of 13 to 17 years old.
Stiles won a Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS), now U SPORTS, national title as the goalkeeper for the University of Victoria Vikes in 2004, earning nods as a Canada West First Team All-Star, a CIS Tournament XI All-Star and a CIS All-Canadian that year.
His senior career included stints in the United States with the Los Angeles Galaxy’s reserve team in 2006, Miami FC of the United Soccer League (USL) Championship in 2007 and Ventura County Fusion in the USL Premier Development League (PDL) in 2009. He also previously represented Sydney FC of Australia’s A-League in 2008 and a training ‘keeper and returned to play on home soil when he signed with the Victoria Highlanders in 2010.
In 2010, Stiles sustained a serious concussion while representing the Highlanders in a match against Portland Timbers U-23. Following the severe injury, Stiles would be sanctioned to play as a para athlete after he was diagnosed with a concussion-related disability, rated Cerebral Palsy 8.
Stiles went on to represent Canada’s Para Men’s National Team, logging 1,681 minutes between 2011 and 2015. He competed as both a goalkeeper and a striker for his country, scoring 29 goals in 25 international matches. Stiles was named the Canadian Para Soccer Player of the Year in 2015, a year that saw Canada finish in 10th place at the CP-ISRA World Championship in England — where Stiles earned Player of the Match honours on three occasions — and finish in fourth place at the Parapan American Games in Toronto.
“I am thrilled to join Pacific and to begin work with two exciting keepers like Emil and Sean,” said Stiles. “I look forward to pulling from my playing experience as a goalkeeper and a member of Canada’s Para Men’s National Team, as well as from my post-playing experience at my academy, to help these keepers continue to develop between the posts for Pacific.”
Stiles joins head coach Merriman’s coaching staff alongside:
- Armando Sá – 1st Assistant Coach
- Chris Merriman – Assistant Coach & Youth Coach
- Vitor da Costa Ferreira – Head of Performance Analysis
- Julian Micolta – Lead Athletic Therapist
- Chris Hinton – Strength & Conditioning Coach
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