GOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!
When the soccer coach hits a big goal from the sidelines … before anyone has even reacted to the opening whistle … that’s a pretty impressive start to the game. It was more impressive that Portage College Voyageurs soccer coach Macky Singh knew exactly when his milestone marker would be made.
It was Sunday, September 21, when the veteran coach and game tactician stepped onto the pitch, ready to coach the Voyageurs in their Alberta Colleges Athletics Conference regular season game against the NAIT Ooks, it was his 300th game in a 15-year career of collegiate level soccer in Canada. A Macky milestone if you will.
Macky – he prefers things on a first-name basis – was asked, of the 300 games he’s coached, what has been his best one? (Full disclosure – we thought he’d answer with, “The next one … win or lose, it’s how you move on, what you do next …” but that’s not the response he went with. “Too cliché,” he noted with a laugh, explaining it’s not any one specific game that’s important, it’s the overall relationship between the coaches, the sport, and the players.
“For me, it’s about the process. We all want to win – let’s be honest – but not everyone can. However, no matter the result, if all the training and work that was done during the week is applied in the weekend on matchday, I know that the players did their best, applied what we trained and worked hard, then I know it was the best game I coached,” he said.
Coaching history
Macky began as the head coach of the men’s and women’s teams at Portage College in 2024. Before that, he’s been the bench boss for college level soccer teams across Alberta and New Brunswick since 2010. He’s been at the University of Lethbridge, Keyano College, Olds College and St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. His accolades stretch as far as his travels. In 2019, he took the Keyano College men’s indoor futsal soccer team to the top in the ACAC championships. He brought the Olds College women’s teams to the quarterfinal round of the ACAC conference championships in 2016 and 2017, he coached the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association’s St. Thomas University Tommies women’s soccer team to semifinal finishes in the 2013 and 2014 ACAA Women’s Soccer Conference Championships (take a pause here, if you need. Grab a water – coach’s orders) … and was named ACAC men’s soccer coach of the year in 2017.
And that’s just in the last 15 years of his Canadian exploits. Macky has a global resume spanning more than 30 years of extensive coaching experience in locations around the world, including Malaysia and New Zealand. He coached New Zealand University’s women’s national team at the 2003, 2005 and 2007 FISU World Universiade Games, and was named University Sport New Zealand Coach of the Year in 2001. He is a Coaches Association of Canada Chartered Professional Coach and holds a Canada Soccer Association A-License, an Oceania Football Confederation – New Zealand Football A License, and a bachelor’s degree in Sports Coaching.
Through it all, the Voyageurs coach doesn’t see his career choice as a job – it’s a passion … not just for the sport, but for the interaction with the student-athletes as they grow and mature on and off the pitch.
“Coaching college student-athletes during their time at post-secondary has been a passion for me, where I am able to develop them not just as athletes but as people,” he said. “So, when they transition into their next of their lives, they have the tools, skills and values that will prepare and shape them to make a positive impact in their communities and society.”
Humbly taking in the 300-game milestone, Macky thanks his current and past players, coaching staff and the collegiate soccer programs that have allowed him to continue his coaching journey.
“To be honest, I never set out to achieve milestones. So, this is definitely a huge honour to still be coaching at the collegiate level in Canada. I would not have been able to achieve it if it wasn’t for the institutions and the Athletic Directors who gave me a chance to lead their men’s and women’s soccer programs over the last 15 years,” he said.
And what about more Macky milestones in the future? The veteran coach says he’s just enjoying the journey – one practice, one game, one result at a time.
I hope to continue to coach as long as possible, and if along the way other milestones are achieved, that’s just a bonus.”
Next Games
While the coach celebrated the milestone marker last weekend, his teams weren’t as fortunate. Both the men’s and women’s Voyageurs squads lost to NAIT in last Sunday’s matchups. The Voyageurs will next face the Keyano Huskies for home games at the Bold Centre soccer field on Saturday, Sept. 27. The action starts at 2 pm. The Voyageurs are on the road the next day for games in Edmonton against the Concordia University Thunder.
The Portage College Voyageurs men’s soccer team is for tied for fourth place in the seven-team Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference north division with a record of 2-4. The Portage Voyageurs women’s team is in seventh place in their northern division, just seven points back of the Huskies.