Manitoba Soccer Association – The Manitoba Soccer Association (MSA) is pleased to announce that as part of the partnership with Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club the MSA Technical Director (TD), Marinos Papageorgopoulos, will take on a new role with Whitecaps FC that will see him work with provincial soccer associations across the country, including MSA, to develop their associated programs.

 

MSA Executive Director, Héctor Vergara, commented, “We are very excited for Marinos as he takes on a new role in the Canadian Soccer scene.  As with a number of past MSA employees, the MSA is very much in support of individuals who have opportunities to move onto new roles with larger challenges than the MSA.  This is the model we believe in for everyone at every level in our sport.  In addition, this is a win-win for both Whitecaps FC and Manitoba as Marinos will work closely with the MSA in his new role.”

 

As a result, the MSA is also very pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Mike Vitulano, as the new MSA TD effective November 1^st, 2016.  In addition, he will also take on the responsibility of the Whitecaps FC Manitoba Head Coach.

 

Mr. Vitulano has an extensive resume that makes him the ideal TD for MSA.  His experiences include knowledge of University programs in the US as he studied and played in the US programs for four years and was an All-Conference player.  He played professionally in the Montreal Impact system, has his Canadian A Coaching License, FIFA Futsal and Grassroots Certification and NCCP accreditation.  As an accredited Coach Facilitator he has lead National and Provincial level courses.

Mike has been the National Futsal Assistant Coach and also assisted in the U17 Canadian National Youth camps.  As such, he is very familiar with the environment and demands of the National programs, which will very much aid him in assisting the Manitoba players.

 

For the past four years Mike has been the Assistant Technical Director of the Quebec Soccer Federation dealing with over 200,000 players, having previously been the Technical Director of the Bourassa Regional Soccer Association with over 9,000 players.  He has been in charge of implementing all the technical programs in Quebec working very closely with the Technical Director.  This is excellent knowledge that he brings to Manitoba to continue the programs established over the last two years.

 

In his first official statement as MSA Technical Director, Mike indicated, “I’m very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to working closely with our coaches and players to help grow the established structure.  As we progress throughout this journey, the goal is to see all MSA members benefit from collaborating in a common direction.”

 

Héctor Vergara added, “We are extremely happy to have Mike as part of the MSA team to continue the implementation of all the MSA technical programs working with the Clubs and Member Leagues in every corner of Manitoba.  We are making strides every day and Mike clearly understands where we want to go and the long term objectives in Manitoba.  There is no doubt that all the players, coaches and programs will benefit from his extensive experiences.  His belief in the importance of program structure and the need to continue the development of a soccer culture will be a fantastic asset.  We look forward to Mike’s contributions to take the technical programs to the next level.”

 

For more information please contact the Manitoba Soccer Association at

(204) 594-5809 or visit the website at www.manitobasoccer.ca

 

 

Regards,

 

MSA Communications

Manitoba Soccer Association

211 Chancellor Matheson Road

Winnipeg MB

R3T 1Z2 Canada

Phone: (204) 594-5809

Fax: (204) 946-5797

E-mail: msacommunications@manitobasoccer.ca

Website:  www.manitobasoccer.ca

 

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