Frank Pike (26 March 1930 – 1 June 2010) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

soccer player and coach.

Career

Frank Pike was born in Plymouth, England, and played in midfield as an amateur for hometown club Plymouth Argyle F.C

Coaching career

Pike, as a Canadian citizen, began his coaching career in 1955. Coaching professional teams in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1964, he coached in the National Soccer League with Toronto Tridents, and Toronto Roma in the

Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada. The league operated for six seasons from 1961 to 1966 across four cities in two Canadian provinces and one American state. In the 1960s, the Eastern Canada Professional ...

. Pike became involved at the national level with the Canadian World Cup Team in 1968. In 1970, Pike was appointed as the National Team Coach for all Canadian teams, participating in International competitions at the Pan American and Olympic Games, World Cup and Youth games. Pike was responsible for the original development of Canadian National teams in international competition, his contributions resulting in vast improvements in the performance and credibility of Canadian soccer teams. In 1974, he took on the position of Provincial coach for the Province of Ontario, being responsible for the development of many players who moved forward to the national team. As Ontario Provincial Coach, he was also responsible for teaching and mentoring other coaches to grow professionalism for the sport in Canada. He also had a brief spell managing Mexican Primera División side Club Jalisco during 1979. Pike is a recipient of the Achievement Award from the Province of Ontario. His work running coaching clinics in Guadalajara and coaching a team in the Primera División (First Division), as well as during International tournaments in BC, gained him respect amongst his peers.The Ontario Soccer Association – OSA Saddened By Passing Of Frank Pike

Personal life

Frank lived comfortably in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

following his retirement from the sport.

References

External links

DT statistics
at Medio Tiempo {{DEFAULTSORT:Pike, Frank Canada men's national soccer team managers Canadian soccer coaches Soccer people from Ontario English emigrants to Canada Plymouth Argyle F.C. players English men's footballers Footballers from Plymouth, Devon Expatriate football managers in Mexico 1930 births 2010 deaths Men's association football midfielders Canadian National Soccer League coaches Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) coaches