Born in Liverpool, United Kingdom, Bill Sutherland has spent the last 13 years at North Toronto Soccer and is currently head coach of the Competitive Program’s IModel Girls 2009 A team.
His coaching journey started out by coaching his daughters’ North Toronto teams – 1998 and 2001 Girls. He also had a spell as assistant coach of the Women’s team for 12 months before taking on his role with the 2009 team two years ago.
“Back in the mid-’90s, a neighbour of mine asked if I could come and help train his boys team,” said Bill, “I had played competitive soccer, and was looking for an opportunity to get involved and support youth development.
“Almost 30 years later, and I am still at it and having a great time.
“Our 2009 IModel team have just started the second half of the season at the C1 level after a very successful first half of the season that saw us finish third out of 11 teams. We train Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then play on Thursday so we have been very busy.”
The third-place finish this season has been a significant highlight for Bill over the past few months, especially given how far the team has come from 2022.
“We finished last year second from the bottom, so to see the individual and team development translate into results is my highlight.
“The players have really committed to the program and each other and are really enjoying their soccer experience. We are a fun team to watch, playing with lots of passion and determination, sticking together and trying to play the game the right way.
“Most recently we have been focused on breaking lines and getting in behind the opponents’ back line; encouraging movement, speed of play, and deception to move the opposition around and create space for us to play. We’re also trying to help the players think about playing out of pressure laterally across the field and switching the play, with a view to play forward quickly into space.
“We want to continue building off the momentum we created in the first half of the season, having fun, staying committed, and compete in every game we play. We want to obviously finish as high as we can in the league, but the key is to stay focused on the development process for each player.”
With the right coaching support from North Toronto Soccer, that development will continue in a competitive environment that Bill believes can help players reach their potential.
“Team sports provide a great opportunity to develop skills that will stay with our athletes for the rest of their lives: teamwork, resiliency, dedication.
“Playing competitive soccer allows players to be in an environment that provides for a greater focus for the sport of their choice. We can support their development in a more challenging environment and push them to be the best player and teammate they can be.”
