Back in August of 2003, Richard Kirwan, a young soccer star, arrived at George Brown College for what he thought would be a one-and-done situation before moving to the United States to continue his collegiate career. It is now 18 years later, and he has still not left. Currently, in his 13th year as an assistant coach for George Brown Men's Soccer team, Kirwan takes his lessons learned and individual growth experiences with him to his position as Community Development Officer for the City of Toronto.
“I don’t know where I would be without George Brown. When I look at where I am now, I’m so lucky to be in a career I really believe in. It’s not a job for me, it’s a passion,” Kirwan explained. “I was allowed to have that passion and George Brown is the reason why. It’s done wonders for me.”
While earning a Business Marketing diploma at George Brown College, the 2007 alumni learned his true passion was to help people through social services. He started at the ground level at the City of Toronto, working in camps and climbing his way up. Recently, after spending over two and a half years as a Youth Outreach Counselor for the city, he was hired as Community Development Officer this past March.
“Right now, we’re doing a community coordination plan that’s addressing some of the inequities and harder to reach and isolated populations within Toronto. There are 12 of these tables across the city, and I coordinate and lead the one in the downtown-west area,” he explained. “There are about four agencies that sit at this table and it’s really about helping the more under-serviced and under-housed populations in Downtown West: connecting them to donations, masks, and anything else they will need.”
While he enjoyed working one-on-one to help individuals on a micro level while being a youth outreach counselor, this position allows him to make a positive impact on a macro level.
“There’s an ability to make change and help. I really think it’s what my calling in life has been, to really help with change and work with those systemic pieces that are creating these inequities amongst Torontonians. That’s my passion,” he said. “This position allows me not to just help individuals, but manage communities, and that’s really exciting.”
This passion and journey may have never happened if Kirwan followed through with his initial plan coming out of high school.
“The goal when I started to go to George Brown College was to be there for a year and then go to the States to play [soccer]. I planned on using George Brown as a stepping stone at the beginning,” he explained. “When I arrived I met a head coach in Lucky Boothe who became a mentor for me. He always emphasized - play the sport that you love - but there is a whole other world out there. You need to start setting yourself for the future and plan your career goals. After the first year, I was supposed to go down to the states, but I decided to stay for two years then go down; and now almost 18 years later, I’m still here.”
During his four-year run as a player, the men’s soccer program turned a corner. After struggling for the first year and a half, the Huskies started to put their print on the OCAA by claiming a silver medal at the Indoor Soccer Provincial Championship in early 2006. That medal kick-started an impressive run.
In Kirwan’s final season as a player in 2006-2007, the team put together one of the most successful campaigns in program history. They earned bronze in Outdoor Soccer, which was the team’s first Outdoor Soccer medal since 1979, and Kirwan was named a Championship All-Star for his efforts. The team followed it up in the Winter season with the program’s first Indoor Soccer championship since 1990.
Once he graduated from George Brown, Kirwan wanted to continue his work with the Huskies men's soccer program.
“Something that my father always instilled in me was if you take from the well, you got to give back to the well. So that was my mentality there. If you take so much from something, you have to give back. I think I took tons and tons from George Brown,” he explained. “I didn’t realize how much George Brown was a part of my life until I was separated from it. I didn’t know what I was going to do without it in my life. I was one of the lucky ones to stay with the program and continue to grow and build it.”
He was hired as an assistant coach in the fall of 2008 and has helped the program claim medals in both the outdoor and indoor seasons. Most notably, the Huskies won two OCAA Indoor Soccer Championships in three years between 2017-19. Of course, having a successful team on the pitch is important, but Kirwan is more proud of the mentorship work and the players' achievements in their careers after George Brown.
“[I, as well as the coaching staff are] most proud of a student graduating and getting a full-time job. Not just a $15-$20 an hour job but an actual career, and they’re calling you to be their reference. That’s really the heart-felt piece,” he explained. “That’s why we coach at the college and that’s what it’s really about. You’re preparing this generation for the labour market. I think George Brown does an amazing job in preparing them for nuances of a career.”
Similar to his career with the City of Toronto, being an assistant coach at George Brown is a passion Kirwan does not want to give up anytime soon.
“You have to be passionate about coaching at George Brown, or else you’re not going to be there for long. For myself and [current head coach] Johnny Williams, George Brown isn’t a stepping stone for something else, [but is a] passion project.”
