William Kerr – Builder

Bill Kerr moved to Prince Albert from his native Edinburgh, Scotland in 1966 and ever since he arrived in the city he has been closely associated with the sport of soccer in every capacity from player to coach to administrator.

Kerr first became involved in the local soccer scene as a player and official in a senior league, but his involvement in the sport would get much deeper as time went by.  

In 1972, Kerr began a lengthy coaching career which has seen him claim nine provincial youth championships and seven Western Canada appearances. In fact, Kerr was the coach of the provincial under‑16 team that recorded the province’s first‑ever Western Canada victory in 1978. Kerr’s coaching philosophy influenced the calibre of soccer played in Saskatchewan at that time and his insistence that the game be played in a skilled and attractive manner was a guideline to the way it is played today.

As an administrator, Kerr first served on the Prince Albert Minor Soccer Association executive in 1975 and from 1976 to 1982 he was president of that organization to make him the longest‑serving leader in the group’s history. During his reign as president, he watched the enrolment in the sport reach an all‑time high of 1,086 players in 1978.

In 1983, Kerr and another long time supporter of youth soccer ‑Jim Nicholson ‑ were put in charge of rewriting the constitution to incorporate the new organization which is now known as the Prince Albert High Noon Optimist Youth Soccer Association.

Kerr, who remains active in the sport and continues to be a noteworthy ambassador for the game, has been honoured as the recipient of the 1982 Saskatchewan Sport Volunteer Award, 1984 Prince Albert Sportsman of the Year, Saskatchewan Soccer Association life membership in 1988 and a silver jubilee medal from P.A. youth soccer, also in 1988.

The Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame is proud to bestow yet another honour on this deserving individual as he is welcomed into the hall in the builder’s category.

Inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.