Shel Brodsgaard (born May 29, 1970) is a Canadian former professional

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting ...

Early life

Brodsgaard began playing soccer with the Gorge Youth Soccer Association and represented British Columbia at U16 and U18 Provincial All-Star levels.

Career

He signed his first professional contract at age 15, with the

Edmonton Brick Men The Edmonton Brick Men (also Edmonton Brickmen) were a Canadian soccer team in Edmonton, Alberta that competed in the Canadian Soccer League and the Western Soccer Alliance. During their time in the WSA and the CSL, the team played at both John ...

of the Canadian Soccer League. He later played with the

Victoria Vistas The Victoria Vistas were a professional soccer team based in Victoria, British Columbia that competed in the original Canadian Soccer League. The Vistas joined the CSL for the 1989 season and folded after the 1990 season. Victoria All-star team ...

Nova Scotia Clippers The Nova Scotia Clippers were a professional soccer team based in the original Canadian Soccer League. They were based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but played their matches in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia at Beazley Field. They played only a single season ...

, and

North York Rockets The North York Rockets were a professional soccer team based in North York, Toronto, Ontario that competed in the original Canadian Soccer League. They were one of four teams to participate in every season of the CSL. Upon the demise of the CSL, ...

. He also played with the Tacoma Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also played for the

Winnipeg Fury The Winnipeg Fury were a professional soccer team in Winnipeg, Canada. The team was part of the Canadian Soccer League from 1987 to 1992. They were one of four teams to participate in every season of the CSL. In 1993, they played in the Canadia ...

and Danish side

Hvidovre IF Hvidovre Idrætsforening, more commonly known as Hvidovre IF () is a Danish professional football club based in Hvidovre. The club competes in the Danish 1st Division, the second tier of Danish football, and plays its home matches at the Hvidovre ...

. Prior to joining the Rockets, he had a trial with Danish club

Boldklubben 1909 Boldklubben 1909, known as B1909, is a Danish association football club currently playing in the Denmark Series. They play at Gillested Park in Odense on Funen, which has a capacity of 6,000. Founded in 1909, the club spent a total 38 seasons i ...

International career

He made one appearance for the Canadian national team. He was a member of the 1992 Canadian Olympic Qualifying team, but did not make an appearance. He won a gold medal at the

1989 Jeux de la Francophonie The 1989 Jeux de la Francophonie, also known as ''Iers Jeux de la Francophonie'', ( French for ''Francophone Games'') were held in Casablanca and Rabat, Morocco, from 8 to 22 July 1989. Sports Medals & Participation Total The following par ...

Coaching

He has served as the Goalkeeper Coach for the

Canada women's national soccer team The Canada women's national soccer team (french: Équipe du Canada féminine de soccer) represents Canada in international soccer competitions. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Canada. T ...

as well as the women's youth teams from 2000 to 2006. He became Canada's National Goalkeeping Coach in 2004. As an assistant coach, with the

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

women's team, he won the 2001 NAIA championship. In 2019, he had the opportunity to be a guest coach and learn from the Olympique Lyonnais women's team coaches. He currently serves as the Technical Director for the Upper Island Riptide Soccer Association.

Personal

He graduated from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...

. He is the author of two books: ''Guarding the Goal'' and ''Goals and Dreams: A Celebration of Canadian Women's Soccer''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodsgaard, Shel 1970 births Living people Canadian men's soccer players Soccer players from Victoria, British Columbia Victoria Vistas players Nova Scotia Clippers players North York Rockets players Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992) players Men's association football goalkeepers