| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Paul John James | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1963-11-11)November 11, 1963 (age 62) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cardiff, Wales | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | Toronto Blizzard | 21 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Toronto Blizzard | ||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Hamilton Steelers | 46 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Doncaster Rovers | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Ottawa Intrepid | 24 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Hamilton Steelers | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Toronto Blizzard | 27 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1992 | London Lasers | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1993 | Canada | 46 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Ottawa Intrepid | ||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | London Lasers | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994 | Le Moyne Dolphins | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Niagara Purple Eagles (men and women) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Canada U20 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2010 | York Lions | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Paul John James (born November 11, 1963) is a retired professionalsoccer player who played as amidfielder. He was a one-timeCONCACAF champion who represented Canada at both the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games and 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He later worked as a soccer analyst and soccer coach. He is an honoured member of theCanada Soccer Hall of Fame.
In 1998, James was granted his Canada Soccer Coaching "A" Licence. After working as a player-coach in theCanadian Soccer League, he later served as a coach with Canada's national youth teams from 1998 to 2001, including theFIFA U-20 World Cup in 2001. A graduate ofWilfrid Laurier University, James has added to his academic credentials by completing the prestigious Football Industries MBA (FIMBA) at theUniversity of Liverpool in England.
In February 2012, Paul revealed he had suffered from acrack cocaine dependency for many years.[1] Paul was on a hunger strike to protest his mistreatment byYork University over his "Substance Disability".[2]
James lived in Cardiff until July 3, 1980 when at 16 years of age he emigrated to Toronto, Canada, with his parents and sister Julie.
Departed Wales with a Canadian equivalent Grade 12 education and an athletic career which included being awarded Whitchurch High School's Athlete of the Year in 1980; two time Glamorgan champion at 800 metres with the fastest recorded times in Wales in 1977/78 for his age group; a third-place finish at the British Championships in the 1500 metres; excelled in soccer which included competing for Cardiff Schoolboys, county of Glamorgan, Cardiff City Youth Team, and Newport County Reserves as a 15 year old; while also competing in first team high school rugby and cricket.
From 1980 to 1982, James played for the Oakville Minor Soccer club winning an Ontario provincial championship. In 1982, Paul John James played for the Ontario Provincial team who won the Canadian national championships.
James developed into a top class midfield player while with theToronto Blizzard. On the Blizzard team, James scored against the then famedNew York Cosmos. He played in theNorth American Soccer League andCanadian Soccer League,[3] where he earned first team all-star honours on four consecutive occasions. In 1986, he played in theNational Soccer League withToronto Blizzard.[4] He also had a short stint with English league outfitDoncaster Rovers.
Welsh-born James became a Canadian citizen in 1983 and arrived on the international scene when he made full appearances for Canada at the1984 Olympics inLos Angeles. He made his senior debut forCanada in a December 1983 friendly match againstMexico inIrapuato, James played in all four of Canada's games at Los Angeles Olympics including quarter final game against Brazil losing on penalty kicks
He made 46 international "A" appearances for Canada (two goals) as well as additional "B" appearances including the Olympic Games.
James scored a crucial equalizer for Canada againstCosta Rica in Toronto in 1985 that would help Canada qualify for the1986 FIFA World Cup finals in Mexico. He also played for Canada in the penultimate game in the 1985 CONCACAF Championship that would secure the national team the continental title along with the lone North American spot in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. A member of the country's 1986 World Cup team, he played in all three games in the group stage of the finals. He represented Canada in 7 World Cup qualifiers.[5]
James' last two games for Canada were a pair of friendlies in March 1993, a 2-2 draw against the United States in Los Angeles, and his final international match, a 2-0 loss againstSouth Korea in Coquitlam, British Columbia.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 24, 1984 | Stade Moulay Abdellah,Rabat, Morocco |  Morocco | 2–3 | Friendly match | |
| 2 | August 17, 1985 | Varsity Stadium,Toronto, Canada |  Costa Rica | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification |
After serving as player/coach at Ottawa and London, James also coached atLeMoyne College inSyracuse, New York, leading them to within one game of an NCAA berth and anNCAA Division II national ranking as high as 12th,Niagara University andCanada men's national under-20 soccer team. As head coach of the Under-20 team, he led them to the2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina. James thus became the first Canadian to represent Canada at a FIFA World Championships both as a player and coach.
Through his coaching career, Paul has garnered six coach of the year awards at varying levels including; CSL, NCAA, and OUA. In 2007, James received the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) national coach of the year award. James has a reputation for developing successful soccer programs. In 2008, James coached York to the CIS Canadian Championship game where they won the title. On January 16, 2010, James announced his departure from York University after serving with the Lions for six years.[6]
From 2004 to 2008, James was an analyst forThe Footy Show onThe Score television network, along withJames Sharman and the lateBrian Budd. He also provided soccer analysis forGolTV in Canada until April 2009. Paul has appeared on the CBC and Sportsnet on numerous occasions and has written forThe Globe and Mail. James was also a frequentpodcast contributor toRedNation Online.[7]
Authored Crack Open (2012); Owner Author Confronting the Stigma of Drug Addiction; Submissions to HRTO, Divisional Court of Appeal; Ontario Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada (2012–2019).
Canada
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