Northumbria University honour Consett football coach who led Canada to first World Cup in 36 years
John Herdman, who grew up in Consett, discovered his passion for coaching while lecturing at Northumbria
by Owen Younger · ChronicleLiveNorthumbria University has awarded a football coach who led the Canadian men's national team to their first World Cup in 36 years with an honorary degree of Doctor of Science.
John Herdman, who grew up in Consett, discovered his passion for coaching while lecturing at in Sport Science at Northumbria in the 1990s. He went on to work as a Development Coach in Sunderland AFC's youth academy, before a move to New Zealand in 2001 kick-started his career.
He went from Coach Education Manager to Director of Football Development, before becoming the head coach for the New Zealand women's national team in 2006, holding the position for five years.
- Read more: I visited the Northumberland former mining town with a rich football heritage including two World Cup winners
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In 2011, he made another big move to Canada, where he took over the Canadian women's national team, leading them to a gold medal finish at the 2011 Pan American Games. He secured them a place at the London Olympic Games in 2012, where they won a bronze medal, which was then retained at the following games in Rio in 2016.
In 2018, John was named Head Coach of the Canadian men's national team, also becoming National Director, with responsibility for all age groups from under-14s upwards. Under his guidance, the team rose up the FIFA World Rankings from 72nd to 40th, going on to qualify for last year's World Cup in Qatar, the first time Canada had accomplished this in 36 years.
He became the first manager to lead both the country's male and female teams in qualifying for a World Cup, and he is now the Manager of Toronto FC in the MLS. Despite this massive success, John has never forgotten his roots in the North East, and his experiences of witnessing unemployment and addiction in Consett when he was growing up brought on a fascination with psychology.
His mantra in his career has always been that: "If you don’t understand the brain, you can’t understand coaching". Speaking about his honorary degree from Northumbria, John gave his thoughts on the award.
He said: "It’s quite emotional to think about coming back to my roots and being recognised in this way. Northumbria University and Paul Potrac created an opportunity for me early in my career to follow my passion for teaching, little did I know those beginnings would lead to this.
"I’m thankful and grateful for the great support of my family who have been unwavering throughout the highest highs and the inevitable lows of elite level sport, and I hope this recognition can inspire others to keep pushing beyond the limits of their potential and expectations of others".
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