There is an undeniable irony to the recent post-secondary soccer coaching “switcharoo” in northern Ontario.

With opportunities opening up with the men’s programs at two of the three OUA settings in northern Ontario, it would be the Nipissing Lakers in North Bay that would latch on to Toronto native / Sudbury (12 year) resident Evan Phillips to fill their void while the Laurentian Voyageurs opted to go with well travelled Irishman Brendan Teeling, who will be making the move cross-country from his current home in British Columbia.

There are some clear-cut similarities between the pair of new hires.

Both gentlemen are in their thirties, both are ultra-passionate about soccer and both, as far as we can tell, wear their emotions on their sleeves when it comes to the Beautiful Game.

The soccer highway that Brendan Teeling has travelled, the one that now brings him to Sudbury and the Laurentian Voyageurs at the age of 36, has been a circuitous one . Born and raised just outside of Dublin, this middle of the pack youth in a six-child family really did not jump into soccer, full force, until his early teens.

A proud representative of the County Meath in his later teens, Teeling would mix in post-secondary studies in his homeland with a variety of summer soccer excursions in the United States, academy and camp-based environments that would take him to California, Philadelphia and Seattle.

His love of travel was furthered as he made a couple of treks to Australia, competing as a semi-pro but also really getting his feet wet as a coach in the Land Down Under. At the age of 24, he made his first foray to Canada, working on a masters while suiting up with the Windsor Lancers.

His sights now set a little more keenly in terms of soccer pursuits, Teeling was about to add a few more air miles to his coffers. “I wanted to work in the pro (soccer) environment,” he noted recently as he settled in to his office on campus at L.U.

“It wasn’t what I thought it would be.”

Work with the Los Angeles Galaxy eventually gave way to a generally far more positive experience with the Vancouver Whitecaps, but not before Teeling had fully embraced the notion of professional development.

“At the beginning, it was first and foremost the travel and adventure,” he recalled. “From there, I developed a love for teaching and coaching. Australia allowed me to get good at the tactical.”

With some practical experience under his belt, Teeling sought out his licensing: EUFA “B” and “A” while in Australia; UEFA “A” Elite in California.

“It doesn’t guarantee you will be a good coach but it does help get you opportunities,” he noted.

From the Kootenays to Kelowna, Teeling sharpened his craft, resulting in an offer to work with Total Soccer Solutions (TSS) and TSS Rover FC in North Delta / Richmond area.

“That was a big eye opener to me that I can coach at the professional level,” he said. “Looking back, I wasn’t ready. Now, I am so comfortable.”

He is certainly not shy to share expectations that exceed what has generally been the norm in these parts for the past 25 years or so. “I think for me, there’s no reason that we can’t get into the top four. We should be getting into the playoffs every year in this conference.”

“But maybe I’m wrong.”