Allan Ross

Allan Ross

The NLSA has added Allan Ross to it's list as a lifetime Honary Member. He joins a very respected group which includes - Gus Etchegary, Angus Barrett, Ben Lake,  Jeff Babstock,  George Innis and the late Newman Barrett.

Great Coach

I would have to think he was probably Newfoundland's greatest coach ever. He coached two Newfoundland teams to a National Title and he brought to this little island a different approach to the game. He taught us a technical asspect of the game that gave us a new approach. As a coach , he was a very hard customer but he got the most out of his players . He didn't take no pretty boy approach , he got his players to play hard and most of all he got respect from them for his efforts.

Congratulations Allan !!!

Allan's Ross Bio

The impact of “Builder” Alan Ross’s departure from Britain and arrival to the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador in early 1970 to teach at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and more importantly to coach the game of soccer, is still being felt today. In 1970, Alan’s first varsity soccer team not only went undefeated, it went on to win the Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association Soccer Championship and then the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union National Soccer Championship in Toronto. In 1971 his team went undefeated in winning the Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association Soccer Championship and in 1973 his team again won the Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association Soccer Championship. In 1974 he coached the provincial U-18 team, which won the National U-18 Soccer Championship. In 1973, 1977 and 1981 Allan was head coach of the province’s Jeux Canada Games Men’s Soccer Teams. In 1972 Alan was appointed assistant coach of Canada’s National/World Cup Soccer Team and served in that position for two years. During this time Alan earned his Canadian Soccer Association National Badge Coaching Certificate, which is the highest Canadian soccer certification. His leadership and efforts in developing and advancing the game of soccer at both the provincial and national levels did not go unnoticed. He raised the coaching, refereeing and playing standard throughout the province from 1970 to 1989 and changed the culture of how the game should be played and developed.

Recognizing what he had to offer, the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association quickly offered to retain him as their Technical Director. Upon accepting the offer Alan immediately began the task of educating the Newfoundland and Labrador soccer community on what was necessary for soccer players to move forward to become national contenders on a regular basis. His first task was to build a network of certified coaches throughout the province. He accomplished this task by traveling throughout the province conducting coaching and referee clinics along with countless player seminars. As well, he took a number of players, coaches, referees, and some administrators from all regions of the province under his wing to mentor. Believing in what he had to offer, these once young coaches, officials, and players have turned out to be the movers and shakers of today’s Newfoundland and Labrador soccer community. These same people are directing the coaching and player development, overseeing the acquisition of funding for programming and building modern facilities.

While the teams and the players he coached achieved success, it was the change in mind set, the philosophy and the approach to moving the game forward that Alan accomplished most. In national and provincial soccer circles today, the name of Alan Ross is frequently mentioned and he can certainly be referred to as the “Father of the Modern Game” in Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1985, at the international level, Alan was a Technical Advisor for the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association’s Host Committee, which was hosting a FIFA World Cup qualifying game in St. John’s between Canada and Honduras. This was a critical game for Canada – a win would put them through to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Canada defeated Honduras 2 to 1 and qualified for the World Cup.

In 1989 Alan was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Hall of Fame and in1990 he was inducted into the St. John’s Soccer Hall of Fame. His success was recognized nationally in 2008 when he received the Award of Merit from the Canadian Soccer Association. This award was in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the sport of soccer in Canada at both the provincial and national levels.