T&T’s Leslie “Tiger” Fitzpatrick has been appointed women’s football coach at George Brown College, Toronto, Canada.
He takes up the position after spending the past five years with Toronto Skillz FC of League 1, holding the title of general manager/technical director for all five seasons and coach for the past two.
Fitzpatrick began his professional career in 1994, at 16, when he was given the opportunity to play with Roda JC in Holland.
A graduate of St Mary’s College, he attended Columbia University, where he was named All-Ivy League in his senior year.
In 2001, he graduated with a double major in economics and political science, and was honoured with a life-sized photograph on the walls of the Sports Hall of Fame at the University’s Dodge Fitness Centre for his outstanding performance in football. In 2016, he received his masters of science in education with a focus in sports administration from the University of Miami.
Fitzpatrick was a member of the 2001 T&T Olympic national football team and also represented T&T at the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-20 levels.
His men’s-team debut was a Digicel Cup match against Puerto Rico in at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, on January 24. 2004. The T&T players were victorious. with a 5-0 win.
Fitzpatrick played with the A-League’s Cincinnati Riverhawks in 2002, the Columbus Shooting Stars in 2003, and then Atlanta Silverbacks in 2004, where he was converted from a striker to a midfielder.
He signed on to Real Salt Lake City in Utah in 2005, during the team’s inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) season, and officially printed his moniker, “Tiger,” on the back of his shirt instead of his last name.
Fitzpatrick trained with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Tampa Bay Mutiny before the club folded, and with the developmental team of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer (MLS).
In 2007, he returned to Trinidad, and joined TT Pro League club W Connection. In 2008, he spent part of the season with North East Stars, and was again contracted by the club for the 2010 season.
Fitzpatrick then signed with Ma Pau SC, where he assisted in achieving their first trophy since turning professional in 2008, and also receiving the Toyota Classic winners’ medal in the 2010/2011 season.
In August 2011, Fitzpatrick became the owner of the Red Lion Pub in Port of Spain.
He has also been technical director of Ken Ton Soccer Club, Buffalo/Niagara, New York, since September 2012..
Fitzpatrick played at the professional level in Europe, Asia and T&T, spending ten years as a professional player while captaining three clubs along the way.
Of his appointment at George Brown, manager of athletics Melanie Gerin-Lajoie is quoted on georgebrown.ca as saying: “Leslie’s high performance coaching and playing background make him a great addition to our programme.
“He brings a high level of energy to the field, which will also transfer off-field in a recruiting capacity. We’re in a bit of a rebuilding stage with women’s soccer, and think we’ve found the perfect person to take the program now to that next level.”