Merril Gordon was the founder of Cliff Avenue United Soccer Club in North Burnaby, which grew into the largest juvenile soccer club in Burnaby.
Burnaby’s 1967 citizen of the year also started the first youth soccer exchange with Washington State, a program that grew to involve over 10,000 boys.
“I’m honoured. A lot of wonderful people working here in Burnaby are going in. Burnaby is a city of volunteers, who volunteer with a passion. It’s even better than professional coaching. They (the volunteers) are doing it for the community and the city,” Gordon said.