Canadian Worthington appointed Women’s EXCEL U-23 Program Director

The Canadian Soccer Association has announced the hiring of Canadian Daniel Worthington as the new Women’s Excel U-23 Program Director. Worthington, the latest addition to the technical leadership team under John Herdman’s direction, will also be acting as Assistant Coach with the Women’s National Team.

Worthington has participated in various Canadian youth national team camps on both the men’s and women’s side since 2010 in technical assistant capacities. He has served as Director of High Performance and National Training Centre Atlantic Director for Soccer Nova Scotia since 2008. His experience as Director of High Performance provides Worthington with a strong understanding of the Canadian soccer landscape and Long-Term Player Development model, while his role as Atlantic National Training Centre Director will be valuable in managing and supporting the continued development of the national team athletes in this transitional age group.

“We are pleased to have Daniel Worthington complete the technical leadership group of our Canadian Women’s National Team Program,” said John Herdman. “From previous collaborations and encounters, we found that Daniel had the right skills set to serve as the link between our group of U-20 players and our Women’s National Team athletes and will be a great asset in leading the U-23 program.”

“On the technical side, I have been fortunate to have great mentors; Mike Hudson (former Soccer Nova Scotia Technical Director), Stephen Hart (former Canadian Men’s National Team Head Coach), Lewis Page (former Canadian women’s youth team coach) and most recently Sean Fleming (Canada’s Men’s U-17 Team coach), while on the administrative side, George Athanasiou (Chief Executive Officer of Soccer Nova Scotia) has helped me with the bigger picture of personal growth,” said Worthington.

“I look forward to joining the leadership team and growth culture that John Herdman has instilled into the fabric of Canadian Women’s Soccer. I hope to contribute to the Women’s National Team legacy in the years to come helping inspire young players to have confidence in themselves.”

Worthington was granted his Canadian Soccer Association National “B” Coaching Licence in 2004, holds a UEFA “B” Licence and is in the process of completing his Canadian Soccer Association National Licence “A” certification.

Daniel Worthington was 19 years old when he moved from Rotherham, England to Halifax, Nova Scotia to attend St. Mary’s University in 1999, where he earned a degree in chemistry. He first got involved with coaching in Canada in 2004 as Soccer Nova Scotia regional training centre head coach for the U-12 player development program.

As an extension to the Women’s National Team, the Excel Program’s aim is to implement a new playing model and build a new identity for women’s soccer in Canada. The EXCEL program has been put in place to help bridge the gap from the youth levels to the national A program.