Jon Morgan Appointed As The New Head Coach For Warriors Men’s Soccer Program
The following story is courtesy of the University of Waterloo Athletics Department, https://athletics.uwaterloo.ca/news/2024/3/19/jon-morgan-appointed-as-head-coach-for-warriors-mens-soccer-program.aspx from March 19, 2024.
The momentum of change in the OUA Men’s Soccer Landscape is taking shape this off season. With the second coaching appointment in the OUA west this off season following Demetri Vacratis’ appointment at the University of Windsor with their Men’s Soccer team, the Waterloo Warriors are excited to announce Jon Morgan as the new Head Coach for the Men’s Soccer program. Morgan having served as the Assistant Coach since 2017, Morgan is well acquainted with the Warriors’ team and is eager to take on this new role.
“We are excited to have Jon take on the role of Head Coach for the Warriors’ Men’s Soccer team,” said Brian Bourque , Associate Director. “Jon is a hard-working, detailed leader who appreciates the importance of combining academic and athletic excellence.”
Jon played semi-professional soccer in his home country of England before beginning his coaching journey with both youth and men’s soccer before landing in Canada in the year 2000.
Morgan began his Canadian coaching journey as a volunteer with Cambridge United in 2007 after establishing himself in Canada and starting a family. Over the years, he was promoted to Staff Coach on a part-time basis and contributed to developing various programs such as the grassroots “Skill Centre” for players aged 8 to 12.
In 2017, Jon joined the club full-time as Grassroots club head coach alongside coaching within the OPDL and L1 Ontario environments culminating in him accepting the role of Club Technical Director in January, 2024.
During 2016, Jon worked as an assistant coach for Conestoga College’s men’s soccer program before joining the Waterloo Warriors Men’s Soccer program as an assistant coach in August 2017.
“Building on the last seven years of experience, I am excited to help the Men’s Soccer program continue to evolve and move forward,” said Morgan. “I am looking forward to developing a player centric culture that facilitates the student-athletes to have an incredible Varsity experience, it is their once in a lifetime journey and we are here to support that journey. Our goal for the upcoming year is to establish and live by the values that will see success organically evolve. I look forward to expanding upon the established relationships with the Warriors staff, they are a critical and valued part of the process!”
Mohamed Aborig, an alumnus of Men’s Soccer, will join Morgan on the bench this season as an assistant coach. Mohamed has an impressive history with the Warriors, earning three OUA All-Stars and one U SPORTS honour. He has also played in several competitive leagues in Ontario, including the Professional Development League (PDL) with teams such as Toronto Lynx and KW-United.
Mike Neptune will continue as the goalkeeper coach for the Waterloo Warriors program. Mike possesses an OS Goalkeeper Diploma and has an impressive track record, including winning the Youth Ontario Cup Championship, achieving a World Masters Silver Medal in 2013, and serving as the Manager of Goalkeeping for Burlington Soccer Club.
Exiting times are ahead as Morgan advised there will be more staff announcements in the near future as he is looking to engage the support of the Alumni on and off the field.
Morgan expressed gratitude towards Roly, Brian, Chris, and the Men’s Soccer Alumni for entrusting him with this position and allowing him to explore what lies ahead.
Source: https://athletics.uwaterloo.ca/news/2024/3/19/jon-morgan-appointed-as-head-coach-for-warriors-mens-soccer-program.aspx