Jimmy Douglas (Canadian soccer)


Jimmy Douglas is a former Scottish-Canadian soccer midfielder and head coach. He played professionally in the North American Soccer League and earned fourteen caps for the Canadian national soccer team.

Club career

Born in Scotland, Douglas moved to Canada in 1964 when he was sixteen. He almost immediately began playing for St. Catharines Heidelberg in the National Soccer League and by 1970 was in the first team. In 1974, he played in the North American Soccer League with the Toronto Metros before returning to St. Catharines Heidelberg for one season and Hamilton Croatia also for one season. He also played for St. Catharines Roma. He later became coach of St. Catharines Roma Wolves, serving as general manager in at least 2002 and 2003.

International career

Douglas was one of Canada’s most talented midfield players. He played 13 'A' internationals including with the World Cup teams of 1972 and 1976 which failed to qualify for their respective finals. Douglas played another ten games with the Canadian Olympic soccer team. He was captain of the Canadian team during the final rounds of the 1976 Olympics, attracting international attention when he scored Canada’s goal in the dying minutes of the game against the Soviet Union. He also scored Canada's goal in a 1–3 loss to North Korea, which eliminated the Canadians. Douglas also was a member of the Canadian squad at the 1975 Pan American Games.

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
129 August 1972Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, USA2–22–21974 FIFA World Cup qualification

In April 2001 Douglas was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.