LAKELAND - For Josh Phillips, president of the Lakeland District Soccer Association (LDSA), there is a good feeling that comes with receiving the Alberta Soccer Association (ASA) Award of Merit.
While Phillips officially was announced as a recipient of the Award of Merit on Feb. 21, he was not present at the ceremony and picked it up at the ASA offices in Edmonton on Feb. 28.
“There are tens of thousands of soccer volunteers across the province that are pivotal to the success of soccer and to win the award is truly an honour,” Phillips told Lakeland This Week.
For roughly a decade, Phillips has been involved with soccer across the Lakeland region.
His son began playing soccer about 12 years ago, and within a few seasons, Phillips started to coach the team.
In 2016, Phillips and his wife, Laura, joined the Bonnyville Soccer Association (BSA) board as directors of mini soccer, which oversees the U5 to U11 age groups. Laura, who is also involved with soccer as a coach and plays in an adult league with her husband and son, continues to hold that position on the board today.
Phillips spent a year as technical director of the BSA before taking over as president of the Lakeland District Soccer Association in 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning.
Over the years that Phillips has been involved with soccer in the Lakeland region, there have been numerous highlights - as well as challenges.
Coming on as president during the height of the pandemic, he said, forced clubs to work together to continue providing soccer opportunities to LDSA players.
“While it was a difficult time, it was an honour to work with the club presidents to regrow the district from two damaging years of pandemic restrictions. The collaborative work done then set a path for the continued growth we see today,” he said.
In many Lakeland communities, LDSA clubs have outgrown their indoor field spaces, and some communities are even getting too big for their outdoor spaces as more kids take up the beautiful game.
With the expected bump in registrations due to the 2026 World Cup being hosted in North America, Phillips acknowledged this could be an ongoing challenge, but it also demonstrates the work that has been put in by clubs across the district.
As a coach, Phillips has been part of many accomplishments. Over the past two years, he has been part of five teams that have won provincial gold medals. This past summer, the Lakeland FC program, which is a higher-tier program for players across the region, grew from two teams to five teams, and each of those teams, according to Phillips, were very competitive and represented the district well during the Tier 3 soccer season.
The U13 girls, which his wife was involved with and his daughter played on, won the first provincial gold medal for Lakeland FC in five years.
Phillips said a personal highlight for him that occurred this past year was having one of his players from the Bonnyville U17 girls’ team scouted and recruited for a college team.
“Knowing that I may have played a small part in that process makes all the hours of volunteer work worth it,” he said. “It also motivated me to put others on the path to playing college soccer.”
In addition to coaching youth teams and his role as LDSA president, Phillips can also be seen on the pitch as a referee.
While the Award of Merit was presented to Phillips, he believes it is a reflection of the work being done by the network of volunteers in the LDSA.
“Everyone is working toward a common goal and the fact that there are so many quality volunteers makes it easier to lead the district,” he said. “Like most volunteers in youth sports, I commit my time for the benefit of the kids and the community.”
Wayne Mah, the coaching director for Lac La Biche FC, praised Phillips for receiving the award. He said Phillips commits a considerable amount of energy and time to soccer in the Lakeland region and has earned the honour.
“I think it’s well deserved . . . He goes over and beyond what a volunteer should do,” Mah said. “This is an incredible accomplishment especially considering the numerous nominations submitted from across the province this year."
Juan Avendano, communications lead with the Alberta Soccer Association (ASA), said the number of recipients who receive the Award of Merit each year varies, and is dependent upon nominations that come from soccer districts.
“This year, we have three award recipients, one from Edmonton, one from Calgary, and Josh from Bonnyville.”
The award, according to ASA, is “Presented to those who've displayed great achievements and brought pride to soccer in the past year.”
“It shows that a person is really committed to the sport,” said Avendano.
