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By the time Jeff
Clarke was 4 years old, he could already be found on the
Soccer field. He excelled at soccer throughout his
youth club career and won three Provincial Championships
and back-to-back National Championships with Coquitlam's
Metro Ford Soccer Club. He was raised in Coquitlam
British Columbia.
After graduating
from Centennial Senior Secondary, Jeff was offered a
scholarship at Simon Frasier University (SFU). He
attended SFU for two semesters before embarking on his
professional career in Europe. He deferred his
scholarship in 1997 and since returning to Vancouver in
2002, he has picked up where he left off and is
completing a degree in Criminology.
He began his
professional career with the Vancouver Whitecaps in
1997. After an extremely successful debut to his
professional career, he decided to join the European
football scene. He joined Royal Antwerp of Belgium
at the end of the A-League season in 1997. In
1998, he joined St. Patrick's Athletic of the National
League of Ireland and won back-to-back National League
Championships. He returned to North America and
played for various teams in the A-League before
returning to the Vancouver Whitecaps on March 7th, 2002.
He is currently living in Coquitlam and remains a a key
member of the Vancouver Whitecaps squad. His
contract with the Whitecaps expires in September 2005.
Jeff
began his International career in 1992 with the U16 National Team.
He has 86 caps at all levels with the Canadian National
program, including 20 with the Senior Men's World Cup
Team.
As a child Jeff dreamed of playing for Canada just once,
and to have been able to realize his dream is truly a
blessing to him.
Jeff continues to
devote his life to the sport he loves, and in addition
to his professional soccer career and studies, he is the
technical director at Guildford Athletic Club in Surrey,
British Columbia. He truly loves the experience of
working with young players and coaches. He hopes
to continue to work with the organization to build a
brighter future for the members of the club.
In his spare time,
which he confesses is very limited, he enjoys going for
jogs with his girlfriend Michelle. Together they
enjoy discovering all of the beautiful trails that
British Columbia has to offer.
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