TORONTO LYNX MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EXCEPTIONAL CANADIAN IN THE WORLD OF SOCCER JOINS LYNX!
Monday, February 14, 2005 (TORONTO, ON) – The Toronto Lynx Soccer Club is honoured to announce the appointment of a truly exceptional Canadian in the world of soccer as a technical consultant with the organization. Nicole Hartrell, owner and chief operating officer is ecstatic saying, " We are absolutely over the top with this appointment! His excellent insights and experiences at all levels of the game will serve us well to enhance and support the coaching staff for the Toronto Lynx, the Toronto Lady Lynx and the Toronto Lynx Juniors."
Howard may as well be called " Mr. Soccer" in Canada given the expansive reach that he has had and continues to have in all areas of the game nationally and internationally. He obtained a unique treble in 1986 as the first person in Canadian soccer to have played, coached and managed in the national program and was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002.
He has had an extensive coaching career at all levels of the game being a member of the coaching staff of the Canadian Under 16 and Under 20 teams as well as the World Cup Team in 1981 when Canada came within one goal of qualifying for the World Cup Finals in Spain. Howard was Canada's first ever National Goalkeeping coach and is the longest serving FIFA Coaching Instructor in North America having conducted over 50 FIFA projects around the world since 1988.
The former goalkeeper played and coached in the North American Soccer League from 1968-1976 with the Detroit Cougars , Rochester Lancers and Toronto Metros and was also a member of the Canadian National Team in the 1974 World Cup qualifiers.
In the world of Academia, he held the post of Director of Athletics and was Head of the Physical Education Department from 1972-86 at Crescent School, one of the top independent schools in Canada.
No stranger to media, in the 90's he was a columnist for the Toronto Sun covering the world's game and was a radio host for Team Sports Radio for the 2002 World Cup. For the young generation, Dick is probably best known for his ongoing work as a media soccer analyst. A role that he has held since 1986 to the present covering World Cup finals for The Sports Network (TSN) and other national/international soccer events for Fox Sports World. Young soccer players and fans stop him everywhere he goes for a chat and an autograph!
He continues to be a member of the prestigious FIFA Technical and Development Committee and also acts as Chairman of CONCACAF Coaching Committee.
The former Technical Director of the Canadian Soccer Association is excited about the appointment; "The sport is facing a challenging future at the top levels of the game in Canada. There have been some positive signs in both the men's and women's game with the success of the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps in the United Soccer Leagues last season as well as the ongoing progress at the National Team level." Howard added "I look forward to helping the Toronto Lynx to continue to play an integral role in the development of the professional game and am encouraged with their steady growth, the potential move to a new stadium, the recent addition of the women's teams in the W-League and Lynx Junior teams in Super Y Leagues."
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
LANCE WINN -- MEDIA & PUBLIC RELATIONS, TORONTO LYNX SOCCER CLUB
416-251-4625 ext. 25
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