Varsity Blues name Lombardi new women's soccer head coach

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues are pleased to announce the addition of Luciano Lombardi as the new head coach of the women's soccer program, effective immediately.
 
Lombardi is no stranger to the Varsity Blues soccer program, having joined the men's soccer coaching staff in 2009 after a five-year goalkeeping career with the Blues.  As a player, Lombardi helped the Blues win three OUA silver medals (2004-06) and competed in three CIS national championship tournaments, where he helped the team to a silver medal in 2005.

"As someone who has been involved with Varsity Blues soccer and Canadian Interuniversity Sport for the past twelve years, I am very excited for the opportunity to work with our women's soccer program at the University of Toronto", said Lombardi. "It is a real privilege to have the opportunity to provide leadership in the development of our high performance student-athletes both on and off the field, with the ultimate goal of building a program that consistently contends for, and achieves, OUA and CIS success."

Since joining the men's coaching staff in 2009, Lombardi has assisted in guiding that program to an OUA championship in 2010, two OUA silver medals (2009, 2011), and four CIS national championship appearances, including two fourth-place finishes in 2009 and 2010. He also held a dual role as goalkeeper coach for both the women's and men's programs in 2011.

Lombardi holds a national B license from the Canadian Soccer Association, as well as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) advanced natoinal goalkeeping diploma and OSA goalkeeper coaching diploma. 

Aside from the Varsity Blues, Lombardi is an academy goalkeeping coach with Toronto F.C., responsible for goalkeepers at the Foundation (u10 - u12) and Pre-Formation (u13 - u15) age groups. He has had the opportunity to travel to numerous international competitions and coach against some of the most prestigious youth academies in the world, including FC Barcelona, AFC Ajax Amsterdam, Paris St. Germain FC, RSC Anderlecht, and Fluminense FC. Lombardi has also served as head coach of the Blues Soccer Academy and coached with numerous other youth academies and clubs in the GTA, including a two-year stint as head instructor of the Camp U of T soccer academy.

A graduate of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto (Hon. B.A. 2010), Lombardi earned a Bachelor of Education from OISE/UT in 2011.