Championship-winning coach set to take the lead for Dinos men’s soccer
By Maggie Hsu, June 9 2024—
The Dinos have named Ramon Mifflin as the head coach of the men’s soccer program, as announced by Dinos Director of Athletics, Ben Matchett on May 16. Matchett praised Mifflin for his dedication to soccer and commitment to providing an exceptional experience for student athletes.
Born in Lima Peru, Mifflin has soccer in his blood as his father, Ramon Mifflin Sr., played professionally for 18 years and represented Peru in the 1970 FIFA World Cup and would go on to become part of the coaching staff of Peru’s 1982 World Cup squad. Mifflin Jr. moved to San Francisco, California, for high school before earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business from the University of San Francisco. He played professionally in both the US and Peru from 1994 to 2003.
Having been a student-athlete himself playing for the University of San Francisco in the NCAA, he has an understanding of how to balance academics with athletics as well as the reality of pursuing sports at a professional level beyond graduation.
“I can relate to the boys in what it’s like to be a student-athlete and to put academics first and that degree can set you up in the case that soccer is not your pathway,” says Mifflin.
Mifflin brings with him over 15 years of coaching experience to U of C including experience leading a university-level team to a national championship. Most recently, he has led the Calgary Blizzard Soccer Club’s boys’ program since 2020 and under his leadership, the Calgary Blizzard won the Alberta Youth Soccer League (AYSL) Championship in 2022. At the university level, Mifflin has been the assistant coach for the Dinos’ crosstown rival Mount Royal Cougars since 2015 and helped them secure their first-ever Canada West Championship last fall.
While recognizing the talent and potential of our Dinos, Coach Mifflin aims to lead them through the challenges that can be brought on through the demanding academic year combined with a rigorous training and playing schedule.
“While they’re here, I want to provide them with a really important student athlete experience where they’re going to remember this one day and be proud of that experience.”
Mifflin is a key figure in Calgary’s soccer scene. He has guided seven Tier 1 teams to provincial gold medals and six to national medals. Additionally, he serves as a staff coach for the Whitecaps FC Alberta Academy, a partnership with the MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Calgary Minor Soccer Association (CMSA) to provide local players with opportunities into professional soccer, collegiate scholarships, and Canadian national teams. All of these accolades point to his passion for continuing the culture of soccer in Canada, Calgary, and specifically, the Dinos.
“Hard work, and a lot of stepping stones [will be needed] to accomplish a high-standard program where the players, staff, and the university are proud that this is a good program and are accomplishing goals.”
With plans to implement a year-long soccer program to further a feeling of culture and cohesiveness as a team, Coach Mifflin hopes to continue the Dinos’ tradition of winning and establishing the Dinos’ Men’s Soccer program at a high standard at the national level to draw in recruits for future seasons to come. The Dinos maintain a good, strong, established core which makes the transition into a new season relatively easy on paper. There will be challenges in adapting to a new coaching style however, Coach Mifflin looks forward to stepping in and getting to know the players.
“For me, my priority at this moment is to get to know the current roster and just bounce ideas for where they’re at, what they’ve done well, what they don’t like from the past, and just to develop a good transparent relationship with all of them” said Mifflin. “[I want to] continue with what made this program successful in the last couple of years that helped them make the playoffs for the last 10 seasons.”
More information about the Dinos can be found on their website.