Chris Bennett (soccer)

Chris Bennett

Personal information
Date of birth	15 January 1952 (1952-01-15) (age 59)
Place of birth	London, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1970-1971	Chelsea
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1974	Vancouver Whitecaps	8	(2)
1976-1977	Seattle Sounders	17	(0)
1978	Memphis Rogues	5	(0)
1979-1980	Cleveland Force (indoor)	25	(6)
National team‡
1973-1975	Canada	6	(1)
1975	Canadian Olympic (amateur)	4	(1)
Teams managed
1993-1997	Canada U-20 (assistant)
1998-2000	Canada U-15
2000-2004	Canadian Soccer Association
2004, 2005	Whitecaps FC Women
2005, (?)2006	Whitecaps FC men's reserves
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 May 2008. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 May 2008

Chris Bennett (born 1951) is a former Canadian international and North American Soccer League soccer player. He was also one of the original Vancouver Whitecaps players from their first season in 1974. Since retiring from playing, he has been a soccer coach and instructor in the Vancouver area.

Player

Professional

An English immigrant to Canada, Bennett was a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps of the NASL in their inaugural season of 1974, playing 8 games and netting two goals and an assist. Just before the 1976 season, the Whitecaps traded Bennett to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Tommy Baldwin.^[1] In 1978, he moved to the Memphis Rogues. Prior to going to North America, Bennett was a member of Chelsea F.C. in 1970 and '71, although he never played a first-team game [1]. He played indoor soccer at some point, likely the 1978-9 season, for the Cleveland Force.

National team

Bennett earned six 'A' caps between 1973 and 1975 for Canada, scoring once. He also earned four Olympic team caps in 1975, scoring once.

Coach

Bennett was a coach for 12 years with the Canadian Soccer Association, including 1998 to 2000 as the U-15 boys team head coach as well as assistant coach to the U-20 side and as an interim to the national side. The U-20 mens team won the 1995-6 CONCACAF gold medal whereas the 1993-4 team finished third in the same tournament. From 2001 he has provided soccer coaching to his local community in Coquitlam and at Penticton, BC, Canada.

Bennett was in 2005 and possibly 2006 coach of the Whitecaps F.C. men's reserves. In 2004 he led the Whitecaps women's team to the W-League championship which subsequently led to his inauguration in the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

Coaching Certification

Level I, II, III NCCP Theory, Technical and Practical Certified
National 'B' License Course
National 'A' License Course

Special Recognition

2004 - 2005 BC Directors Coaching Award, for dedication to the development of soccer through coaching
2001 - 2002 Coach of the Year, North Coquitlam

References

1. ^ 1976 Seattle Sounders: Chris Bennett

External links

• Chris Bennett Soccer Academy
• Canadian Soccer Association profile
• 'Canadian Soccer Association Press Release of Whitecaps hiring Bennett
• [2]
• NASL/MISL stats

Persondata
Name	Bennett, Chris
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	15 January 1952
Place of birth	London, England
Date of death
Place of death