VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that Rob Pereira has been named head coach of the Whitecaps London academy centre. In his role, Pereira will lead Whitecaps FC national club partner Whitecaps London, part of the Whitecaps FC BMO Academy System.
"I'm very happy and excited to be joining Vancouver Whitecaps FC in a full-time capacity in London, Ontario," said Pereira. "I look forward to continue growing the club in London and working with the staff and players in putting together one of the top programs in the province."
Pereira holds a Canada Soccer National A License and has been with Whitecaps London as a head coach of several OPDL teams since 2017. He has held roles as an assistant technical director and interim technical director with the London Youth Whitecaps Academy before that.
Pereira will continue in his role as the men’s head coach at Fanshawe College, where he had a distinguished playing career, being named a CCAA All Canadian Athlete and an OCAA All-Star in 2004, and Fanshawe Male Athlete of the Year in 2005. Pereira was nominated as CCAA Men's Soccer Coach of the Year in 2015. He was also awarded OCAA Coach of the Year in 2015, and OCAA West Division Coach of the Year in 2015, 2019, and 2021.
"Rob brings a lot of experience to the role, having been involved in Whitecaps programs in his native London for many years as a coach and in leadership roles," added Mike Ayyash, Whitecaps FC BMO Academy Centre director. "Whitecaps London has grown into one of the biggest and most successful clubs in Southern Ontario. Rob has the knowledge, character and respect in the community that will help the club continue to grow and develop players in the area. We are thrilled to have Rob join our Whitecaps team full-time."
Whitecaps London, a National Youth Club License holder, is a high-performance club in Southern Ontario with close to 1,000 players, including grassroots and high performance programming as a member of the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL), the highest level of youth competition in Ontario.
To read more about Rob, visit https://camps.whitecapsfcyouth.com/rob-pereira.
To read more about Whitecaps London, visit whitecapslondon.com.
