By Canadian Press

Canada Soccer honours Tony Waiters with award, inducts Bob Sayer into Hall of Fame

Dec 15, 2020 | 12:49 PM

Canada Soccer is honouring the late Tony Waiters with a coaching award in his name and inducting former vice-president Bob Sayer into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame.

The Tony Waiters Coaching Excellence Award recognizes contributions to coaching in Canada for a minimum of 20 years. Waiters, who guided the Canadian men to both the 1984 Olympic Games and 1986 World Cup, died in November at the age of 83. 

Waiters, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001, was “a monumental figure in Canadian soccer,” said Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis.

“Mr. Waiters played an important role both as a coach of our national teams as well as an instructor and coach educator,” Bontis said in a statement. “He had an incredible influence on our game, our players and our coaches.”

The first recipient of the new award will be announced in 2021 at Canada Soccer’s annual meeting in Saint John, N.B.

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Sayer joins previously announced player inductees Karina LeBlanc and Brittany Timko Baxter in the Hall of Fame Class of 2020. Sayer, a Canada Soccer Life Member who served as vice-president from 1986 to 1992, will be inducted into the builders section at the 2021 Canada Soccer awards banquet as part of the organization’s annual meeting.

Bontis called the native of Lunenburg, N.S., “an important early champion” who promoted women’s soccer and the creation of the national women’s team in the 1980s.

“Bob Sayer helped guide our vision for women’s soccer in Canada and part of his legacy has been the success of players like Karina LeBlanc and Brittany Timko Baxter, from winning a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games to each representing their country more than 100 times,” he added.

Sayer was co-chair at Canada Soccer’s national conference for women’s soccer that led to the adoption of policies for the Women’s national championship (Jubilee Trophy), the women’s national team and programs for the development of women’s coaches and referees.

The Canadian women’s team held its first national camp in July 1986 during Sayer’s first year as Canada Soccer vice-president.

Sayer was head of delegation for the Canadian women’s first international matches against the U.S. in 1986. He travelled with Canada to the 1986 World Cup, 1987 World Youth Championship in Chile and the first CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1991.

He was also part of Canada Soccer’s delegation at the FIFA Congress that approved the launch of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

“It has been a thrilling ride and I am delighted to have been part of Canada Soccer’s huge growth of the game for all ages for both men’s and women’s soccer,” said Sayer. “I feel honoured to be recognized by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame. I was fortunate enough to be able to contribute to the world’s great game and its growth in Canada.”

He served as president of Soccer Nova Scotia from 1981 to 1984 and was the founding chair of the Nova Scotia Professional Soccer Society which established the Nova Scotia Clippers as an expansion franchise in the Canadian Soccer League in 1991.

He also founded and coached Lunenburg Lasers SC.

Waiters was a recipient of the Aubrey Sanford Meritorious Service Award in 1996 and named a Canada Soccer Life Member in 2019.

The English-born B.C. resident served as Canada men’s and Olympic coach for more than six years in two stints from December 1982 to February 1992 and until May 1992 as the Olympic/under-23 coach.

The Tony Waiters Coaching Excellence Award is Canada Soccer’s first coach-specific award that celebrates coaching and coach education over an extended period of time.

Other Canada Soccer Awards are the Canada Soccer President’s Award, the Aubrey Sanford Meritorious Service Award, the Ray Morgan Memorial Award (referees), the International Achievement Award (referees), the Brian Budd Award, and the Canada Soccer Award of Merit.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2020

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press