Coach Len Vickery inducted to U of A Sports Wall of Fame

Len Vickery, a former Golden Bears soccer coach who coached from 1985 to 2019, has been inducted to the University of Alberta Sports Wall of Fame. Vickery led the soccer team to three separate national titles over the course of 34 years.

Vickery is the longest-tenured coach in U of A history. In addition to three national titles he accumulated a total of 307 wins and seven Canada West Championships.

“It was a wonderful surprise. I know previous people who have gone on the wall of fame in the past. I’m delighted to be joining them on the wall. I’m extremely humbled,” Vickery said.

“We definitely became more competitive,” Vickery says

The first year that Vickery started coaching, the Canadian Soccer Association, the Alberta Soccer Association, and the U of A created a three-party agreement. In addition to coaching the Golden Bears part-time, Vickery trained national and provincial prospects. 

In 2001, with the help of Athletic Director Ian Reade, Vickery began coaching the Golden Bears full-time. According to Vickery, when the U of A made this change, the trajectory of the program changed for the better. 2001 was also the first year of the Green and Gold Soccer Academy. Many athletes who joined the academy would go on to join the Golden Bears, Vickery said.

“Because of the extra time I was able to devote to the position, we definitely became more competitive — particularly against the traditional rivals like [the] University of British Columbia and University of Victoria,” Vickery said.

According to Vickery, at the start of his coaching career, there were about six teams in the conference. The teams played about 10 games total each, with only the top team going to the national championship. 

“You had to finish first, and against notable opponents. After a few years, we figured it out and started to become competitive, and started going to national championships,” Vickery said. 

Vickery was able to bring the Golden Bears soccer team to the national championships seven times. On three of those occasions — 2003, 2006, and 2016 — the team came back with the win. According to Vickery those were “breakthrough moments.”

“I cherish every moment and every opportunity,” Vickery says

As a coach, Vickery wanted to make sure his players knew that the sport was serious. 

“All the other teams were doing remarkably well. We couldn’t be any different. We had to be challenging for national championships. It was a case of getting the players to work a little bit more, not just during the three or four months of a fall season, but year-round,” Vickery said.

Vickery still keeps in touch with players that he coached throughout the 34 years, even those from when he first started coaching. He said that its the relationships he built through the sport and coaching it that are “key” in his life.

“The best part, without a shadow of a doubt, regardless of the championships, is the relationships that you build. I cherish every moment and every opportunity to work with so many amazing young athletes.”