Fairview coach has plenty of Hart
Interim national men’s soccer team coach wants to use experience to test himself at a higher level
By Adam Richardson (The Daily News)Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Stephen Hart settled into Halifax after playing university soccer with the Saint Mary’s Huskies. The 46-year-old Fairview resident is coaching the under-17 boy’s soccer team and recently stepped in to coach the senior men’s team to a victory over Jamaica earlier this month. He will remain at the helm for two more friendlies this fall. He talked to The Daily News about the state of soccer in Canada, and about the possibility of a professional team in Halifax.
DN: How was the game against Jamaica?
SH: I thought it went fairly well. The staff and players wanted to have an attacking approach, and for the most part we did that. At times we might have been a bit disorganized, but overall I was pleased.
DN: Were you nervous?
SH: There are always nerves before any game. You have to show the players that you are calm on the outside
DN: When you were given the interim role, were you given any indication of how you’ll be evaluated and whether you are a candidate for the full-time position?
SH: We’ve had no real discussions about that. I believe —I can’t say for certain — that they will be looking for a new head coach in January of 2007 and that clearly my role is to coach the team over the next two games.
DN: Is it difficult to coach a team on an interim basis?
SH: It is difficult, because you are asking the players to play for a coach that might not be there in five months. But you still have to make sure the training’s right and you hope to get the best players into the game and enjoy the experience.
DN: Where is Canadian soccer headed at the World Cup level?
SH: We definitely have a good generation of players and a good mix of players, both young and old. It’s really important to be able to secure those good players and make sure they are available to play the World Cup qualifying games. We also need to build the depth of the program to a point where somebody can step in if a player is injured.
DN: Do we need to put more money into the senior men’s team?
SH: Definitely. When I travel around the CONCACAF region and see what’s being spent at the youth level and see what’s being spent on the senior men’s programs, what you put in is what you get out in terms of results. It’s not all of Canadian soccer where the funding is lacking, but the World Cup team is the one that gets your program notoriety. You have to invest in that team to ensure the success of the program as a whole.
DN: Will hosting the world under-20 men’s tournament in 2007 help that cause?
SH: Of course. Any time you get to host an event like that, people really take notice of the kind of job you do and it will help put Canadian football on the map. The public will get behind it and enjoy the level of football, and those are the players that will someday play for the senior team.
DN: As a country with several multicultural cities, does it surprise you that the program isn’t stronger?
SH: It’s not an easy conference to qualify from. The United States and Mexico have really separated themselves from the competition, and that really only leaves open one spot for the rest of the teams to play for. When you look at the length of qualification, a lot can happen over 20 games. There can be dips in form, injuries, you never know. It was disappointing we didn’t qualify for this year’s World Cup, but we got off to such a bad start at home, where you have to win your games, because it’s always unsettling playing on the road in CONCACAF.
DN: Do the sparse crowds at home for qualifying games add to the difficulties?
SH: Canadian players are most accustomed to being away from home, even if they are at home. There is no stadium that you can attract big teams to visit and there’s no intimidating place to play the game in Canada. The team moves around a lot, so you never have that sense of familiarity and comfort. At times, visiting teams know the pitch almost as well as our team. We don’t have that advantage, and that hurts our qualifying — it’s as simple as that.
DN: Will the new stadium being built for the under-20 in Toronto fill that role?
SH: It’s great that they built a stadium, but it’s going to be on artificial turf and most big clubs don’t like playing on that surface.
DN: What is your goal over these next two exhibition games?
SH: I want to see how far I can push myself and test myself at this level, and I want the players to get experience and have fun. Wins and losses are not the most important thing in those games.
DN: What will having a Major League Soccer team in Toronto mean for Canadian soccer?
SH: It’s fantastic to have that quality of soccer in Canada. We’ve had several key players come from the Montreal Impact, and this should raise the bar even higher. We need more professional soccer to give our players something to aspire to. Young fans in this country walk around wearing Inter-Milan shirts, Manchester United shirts. You don’t see them in a Canada jersey. Hopefully this team will build that type of identity, and really get the fans to support a team in this country. Then, those young fans may grow up wanting to play football here.
DN: Do you think professional soccer would ever return to Halifax?
SH: Halifax has proven it will support the game. I remember the senior men’s provincial final used to draw almost 3,000 fans. I’m almost certain that Halifax has that potential, but we still don’t have that facility to host a professional team, or to host international games.
arichardson@hfxnews.ca
THE HART FILE
• Name: Stephen Hart
• Age: 46
• From: Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Hart has called Halifax home for most of his adult life. He played soccer at Saint Mary’s.
• Coaching: Hart is currently coaching the Canadian senior men’s team on an interim basis, and led the squad to a 1-0 victory over Jamaica in Montreal earlier this month. He also coaches the national under-17 boys team, and previously served as an assistant to Frank Yallop with the senior men’s team.
