Kevin Grant (soccer)

Last updated

Kevin Grant
Personal information
Date of birth (1952-07-25) 25 July 1952 (age 71)
Place of birth Willesden, England
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1972 East Hamilton Legion
1973–1976 Hamilton Croatia
1978 Hamilton Italo-Canadians
1980 Buffalo Blazers
1981–1985 Hamilton Steelers
1983 Toronto Nationals
International career
1971–1976 Canada U23 11 (0)
1972–1974 Canada 8 (0)
Managerial career
1982 Hamilton Steelers
1983 Toronto Nationals
1986–1987 Hamilton Steelers
1990 Hamilton White Eagles
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kevin Grant (born 25 July 1952) is a Canadian former international soccer player who played for the Canada men's national soccer team between 1971 and 1976, and is currently the U17 head coach for Hamilton United Elite girls program. [1]

Contents

Playing career

Grant was born in London, England, and moved to Burlington, Ontario at the age of 15. [1] He played club soccer with East Hamilton Cougars, East Hamilton Legion, and Hamilton Croatia. [2] Despite being an international in the 1970s he did not play as a professional in the North American Soccer League. In 1978, he played in the National Soccer League with Hamilton Italo-Canadians. [3] He signed with Buffalo Blazers for the 1980 season. [4]

In 1981, he played with the Hamilton Steelers, and won the NSL Championship. [3] In 1983, he played with the Toronto Nationals of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. [5]

On 8 May 2014, he was inducted into the Hamilton Soccer Hall of Fame as a player. [6]

International career

Grant played with the Canada U-23 team, and made his debut on 24 August 1971 against Mexico, and played two matches in the 1976 Summer Olympics. [7] He also participated in the 1975 Pan American Games, and featured in three matches. [8] He made his senior team debut on 24 August 1972 against Mexico in a FIFA World Cup qualifier match and later featured in eight additional matches. [9] [10]

Managerial career

Grant coached in the National Soccer League with the Hamilton Steelers in 1982 and secured the NSL Championship after defeating Toronto Italia. [11] In 1983, he succeeded Frank Pike along with Colin Franks as the two co-head coaches for Toronto Nationals in the Canadian Professional Soccer League. [12] In 1986, he returned to manage the Hamilton Steelers where he secured the inaugural Canadian Soccer League championship. [3] [13]

In 1990, he returned to the NSL circuit to be named the head coach for the Hamilton White Eagles in the league's second division. [14]

In 2015, Grant along with Tony Taylor formed the Burlington Futbol Academy. [15] Grant is currently the head coach with Hamilton United Elite with their U17 Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) Girls program. [16]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Kevin Grant". Canadian Soccer Association. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  2. "Hamilton Croatia". hamiltoncroatia.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Jose, Colin (2001). On-Side - 125 Years of Soccer in Ontario. Vaughan, Ontario: Ontario Soccer Association and Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. p. 206.
  4. "Blazers Give Up First Goal, But Win, 2-1". Buffalo Courier-Express . 19 June 1980. p. 7.
  5. "Toronto Nationals 1983 (CPSL)". nasljerseys.com.
  6. Milton, Steve (8 May 2014). "Hall of Fame: A salute to a century of excellence". The Hamilton Spectator. ISSN   1189-9417 . Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  7. "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  8. "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  9. "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  10. Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Kevin Grant". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  11. McGee, William (25 October 1982). "New-look Steelers take soccer crown". Toronto Star. p. S8.
  12. King, Philip (11 June 1983). "Nationals hurting, as players unpaid and coach resigns". The Globe and Mail. p. S8.
  13. "Hamilton Steelers Rosters". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  14. Lovegrove, Don (23 April 1990). "Ivor Wynne Stadium may be Eagles' nest". Hamilton Spectator . p. 17.
  15. "Still openings in soccer camp that starts Friday". Burlington Post . 3 February 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2020 via InsideHalton.com.
  16. Leo Cavalluzzo. "HAMILTON UNITED - Coaches". www.hamutd.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.