Chris Bennett (born 15 January 1952) is a former footballer who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

in the North American Soccer League. Born in England, he represented the Canada national team at international level. He was one of the original Vancouver Whitecaps players from their first season in 1974. Since retiring from playing, he has been a football coach and instructor in the Vancouver area.

Club career

An English immigrant to Canada, Bennett was a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps of the NASL in their inaugural season of 1974, playing 8 games and netting two goals and an assist. Just before the 1976 season, the Whitecaps traded Bennett to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Tommy Baldwin. In 1978, he moved to the Memphis Rogues. Prior to going to North America, Bennett was a member of Chelsea in 1970 and '71, although he never played a first-team gam

He played

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

at some point, likely the 1978–9 season, for the Cleveland Force.

International career

Bennett earned six 'A' caps between 1973 and 1975 for Canada, scoring once. He also earned four Olympic team caps in 1975, scoring once.

Coaching career

Bennett was a coach for 12 years with the Canadian Soccer Association, including 1998 to 2000 as the U-15 boys' team head coach as well as assistant coach to the U-20 side and as an interim to the national side. The U-20 men's team won the 1995-6 CONCACAF gold medal whereas the 1993-4 team finished third in the same tournament. From 2001 he has provided soccer coaching to his local community in Coquitlam and at Penticton, BC, Canada. Bennett was in 2005 and possibly 2006 coach of the

Whitecaps F.C. Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...

men's reserves. In 2004, he led the Whitecaps women's team to the W-League championship which subsequently led to his inauguration in the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Special recognition

2004 - 2005 BC Directors Coaching Award, for dedication to the development of soccer through coaching
2001 - 2002 Coach of the Year, North Coquitlam
2014 - Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame inductee

References

External links

Chris Bennett Soccer Academy
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Canada Soccer Hall of Fame The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours people and institutions for their contributions to Canadian soccer. It was founded in 1997 by the Ontario Soccer Association and was originally located in Vaughan, Ontario. As of 2019, the Canada Soccer Hal ...

'Canadian Soccer Association Press Release of Whitecaps hiring BennettNASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Chris 1952 births Living people Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Canadian expatriate soccer players Canada men's international soccer players Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees Canadian soccer players Cleveland Force (original MISL) players English footballers English emigrants to Canada Expatriate soccer players in the United States Association football forwards Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Memphis Rogues players Naturalized citizens of Canada North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Soccer people from British Columbia People from Coquitlam Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984) players English expatriate sportspeople in the United States English expatriate footballers English expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate soccer players in Canada