Port Coquitlam FC Soccer Association's minor faction is headed in a new direction, and there's few better than Oliver Heald to point the way.
A former Vancouver Whitecap star and ex-pro in England, Heald brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as the new technical director of a group that has managed to field just one Metro division squad in the last five years. That number has already grown to three and PoCo FC minor head coach Mark Slater believes more are sure to blossom under Heald's presence and tutelage, which has him in charge of coach and player development.
"I realize I have a name through my playing background and [our] vision is to bring the club to a higher level," said the 36-year-old Heald, who toiled two seasons across "the pond" before the midfielder settled in his native Vancouver and played the better part of a decade with the Whitecaps. "It's tough to say where we'll be in, say, seven years...it's up in the air... but we want to start establishing a higher level of soccer."
Slater was a one-time teammate of Heald's on Canada's national Under-23 men's squad but said the decision wasn't so easy to fill the position after 12 "very strong" candidates applied for it. Slater gradually narrowed it down to five, then to three -- Heald, who with wife Andrea recently moved to PoCo's Citadel Heights, along with contenders from Alberta and Vancouver Island. In the end, Slater made Heald his recommendation to the PoCo FC board of directors and they virtually rubber stamped it, inking him to a three-year deal.
"We chose Oliver because of his attitude, his energy and his fresh ideas," said Slater, a former Vancouver 86er himself who's now a PoCo chiropractor. "We wanted someone who has a pro background and knows how to compete and Oliver certainly has that."
In seven seasons with the Whitecaps, Heald played in 164 games and collected 34 goals, which ranked him sixth at the time in the club's all-time scoring. That, coupled with his two-year stint in England with Div. 1's Port Vale and Div. 2's Scarborough, provided him with the perfect pedigree to pursue a coaching career.
"As soon as I graduated from high school, my dad hucked me on a plane to go tryout in England," said Heald, a Kitsilano native. "That's what made me a soccer player, I believe. I actually surprised myself by making the team right away and signing my first pro contract. That experience made me the player I became."
And it's that type of keen desire and passion that Slater hopes Heald will filter down to all the PoCo FC minor coaches and players.
"We're not interested in just being a small, recreational club -- we want to also compete," said Slater, adding there will still be plenty of room for the more recreationally inclined players. "We have three Metro teams now and, in five years, we'd like to see one playing at every age group in our club.
"Our goal is to develop our top players and still provide a place where the others can come out, have fun and get good exercise."
Heald said playing for his hometown Whitecaps was sweet in a number of ways, one being: "I got to play in front of my friends and family every night, so that was an added bonus, for sure."
Having battled for Coquitlam Metro-Ford -- one of PoCo's fierce Tri-City rivals -- the last two Vancouver Metro men's league seasons, Heald has shifted his adult playing allegiance this year to the PoCo Castillians over-35 team for next season, making him a fully fledged PoCo soccer guy.
Just the way he likes it.
