Simon Fraser University men's soccer head coach Alan Koch announced two new additions to the coaching staff for the 2012 season. James Merriman of Nanaimo and Nour Fathy of Burnaby will join the Clan this fall.
Merriman and Fathy will join coach Koch, assistant coach Clint Schnieder and equipment manager Peter Doyle, who has a decade of experience with the program, as the SFU men's soccer team looks to repeat as Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions.
"I am incredibly happy to continue to have Clint and Doylie on our staff," said coach Koch. "Their experience at this level is invaluable. It's exciting to add James and Nour to the group. Their backgrounds will greatly aid our program."
Merriman joins the SFU coaching staff after spending the last three years coaching at Vancouver Island University. During his tenure, the Mariners won a Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association national championship in 2010, and followed that up with a third-place finish at the nationals last year.
Merriman also brings NCAA playing experience to the coaching staff as he spent four years as a student-athlete at the University of Denver.
"James is a young, up-and-coming coach. He comes from a great footballing family, and his awareness of the NCAA and connections on Vancouver Island will make him an instantly important part of our coaching group. He has spent a lot of time developing his coaching abilities and evaluating the game, and I look forward to working with him this August," continued Koch.
Fathy joins the SFU coaching staff after spending the last four years as a goalkeeper at Douglas College.
During his time at Douglas, Nour led the league with the lowest goals against average at 0.51.
Currently Fathy assists with the Mountain United FC under-16 and u-18 boys' teams in the B.C. Soccer premier league. Fathy also has professional coaching experience, having coached with the Vancouver Whitecaps W-league team in 2010.
"Nour brings a fantastic enthusiasm to the job. He is willing to learn, and has an infectious desire to succeed. His knowledge of the local youth landscape will be invaluable. I look forward to working with him as he completes his bachelor's degree," finished Koch.
The SFU men's soccer team will begin to defend their back-to-back conference championships on Thursday, August 16 with an exhibition game against Division I University of Washington in Seattle. Their first home regular season game comes on Friday, August 31 at Terry Fox Field at 7:30 p.m. in a non-conference tilt with Thompson Rivers University.
