NEWTON — Is varsity soccer dead at Kwantlen Polytechnic University? Media reports in July signalled the end of all KPU varsity sports after this season. The not-so-unique reason: budget constraints.
But not so fast.
While KPU varsity soccer coach Srdjan Djekanovic can’t speak for all of KPU’s athletics, he certainly has something to say about the future of the men’s side – the very good side – he’s meticulously built over the past three years.
Djekanovic said the July announcement, delivered by KPU vice-provost Jane Fee while he was vacationing in Greece, “came as a surprise.” He added that it was particularly tough for the soccer program because it was embarking on the final year of a “three-year plan” that involved a renewed emphasis on recruiting and a goal of winning it all in 2015.
“We recruited guys who were planning to go to university this year, but instead came to us. We were concerned for everyone, and especially for them because they turned down scholarships to come here.”
The coach said he’s been told by university officials that funding may be found to ultimately take soccer, in particular, to a higher level.
Currently competing in the PacWest division of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association – a step down from CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) – the KPU Eagles soccer squad might well see a future in the prestigious NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), where they’d regularly square off with high-powered American colleges.
“KPU is such a growing institution,” he said. “I think what’s happening is that we’re taking academics to the next level. We hope soccer will be there as well. We’re excited about the prospect of the vice-provost pushing our soccer program to a higher level too, where we can be competitive with U.S. schools.”
Reached Wednesday (Sept. 23), Fee said the July decision by KPU officials “has not changed one iota.
“We are out of PacWest at the end of this year, out of that league,” Fee told the Now. “And right now we are in the process of looking at the future of sport and recreation at KPU. We have a series of townhall meetings coming up in the next couple of weeks, and we’re soliciting feedback from members of the community and continue to look at what our options are for moving forward.”
NAIA play is a future possibility for KPU Eagles, Fee added, “but it won’t be happening next year, because those are things that take some time. We have absolutely said that we will investigate NAIA as an option, but no decisions have been made yet.
“Soccer is a popular sport on the campus, and it may be that we find some way to continue playing in a metro league, or something like that,” Fee added, “but we’ve made no decisions yet. We have been very clear that we’re looking for input from the community, so we’re trying to do some public engagement around this.”
Djekanovic, who clearly adores his team, points to the University of Calgary and University of Lethbridge as examples of “self-funding” programs, and sees no reason that can’t happen here if all else fails.
“Surrey is a soccer community,” he said. “And in case their plan does not follow through, we would work to be a top-ranked program with help from the school president, the vice-provost, the city and the local soccer community.”
But as much as the future is up in the air, there’s no questioning what’s happening on the pitch. Fresh off a solid 2-0 victory over the Vancouver Island Mariners last Sunday (Sept. 20) at Newton Athletic Park, the KPU Eagles sport a gaudy 4-1 record and are ranked first in the province and fourth in the country, as of Tuesday (Sept. 22).
Djekanovic, a former pro goalie whose resume includes playing stints with Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and Vancouver’s own Whitecaps FC, as well as a CIS-winning spell as assistant coach at UBC, credits the team’s “culture.”
“We’ve established a culture here where winning is important but comes second to being gentlemen on and off the field. And it’s study first, soccer second. We won’t even look at you if you’re not interested in studying.
“By setting up a culture, we all work for each other. If players don’t arrive 15 minutes before practice, that’s considered late. We want them connecting with each other. We want them to spend that time joking around and feeling part of a group.”
And certainly there’s an ease with this team that you won’t necessarily find elsewhere. Djekanovic pats players on the back when they come off the field and regularly laughs with them. Players call their coach “Sergie” and joke right back. “By setting up that culture,” Djekanovic said, “we all work for each other.”
One of those players is Anthony McCullough. Now in his fourth year with the team, and second as captain, the 23-year-old centre defensive midfielder has been with the Eagles before and during Djekanovic’s time at the helm. And these days, he loves what he sees.
“I’ve been in the program four years and never had this feeling,” McCullough said. “We expect to win every game. And when we do win, we don’t go crazy in the dressing room. It’s business as usual. We’ll save the big celebration ’til the end of the year.”
McCullough is part of the changing face of youth sports in Canada. Finding hockey too expensive, he “picked up cleats at a thrift store” as a kid and jumped into soccer. Today, he’s one of the Eagles’ leaders, but recognizes his future likely lies apart from pro soccer.
“If they haven’t called by now, they probably won’t,” McCullough said.
To that end, he’s already completed his business degree and is currently studying trades in the KPU automotive program. He’ll likely take over his dad’s mechanic shop by the time he’s 25.
In the meantime, though, he speaks passionately about soccer and what he’s able to do to help guide other players. He’s created a What’s App group where everyone shares their post-game stories and feelings, and he sees himself in the role of coach somewhere, someday.
And he has his thoughts about the KPU varsity athletics “controversy,” too.
“One of the key things is to do with all that drama. We believe as a team that there will be a future. We’re not concerned with the drama. We’re going to stay together no matter what.”
Later this month, at each of the university’s three campuses, staff, faculty and students are invited to townhall meetings to discuss the future direction of health, wellness, sport and recreation programming at KPU. The meetings will be held on Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 1, according to Fee.
In July, Fee said the annual cost of $750,000 to run the varsity athletics program at KPU was not being cut from the school’s budget, but rather repurposed in an effort to benefit a broader sporting community on campus.
-with files from Tom Zillich
