FC Edmonton Hires Alan Koch as Head Coach
Becomes the Fifth Head Coach in the Club’s History
EDMONTON, AB – FC Edmonton has hired Alan Koch (KAWCH) as Head Coach and Director of Football Operations, the club announced today.
Koch was hired after a two-month search to replace former head coach Jeff Paulus who stepped down from his position in late September.
“We are very excited to introduce Alan as our new Head Coach” said FC Edmonton owner, Tom Fath. “We had the privilege of talking to a lot of great candidates for the position. But in the end, coach Koch’s mix of professional coaching experience, winning track record, business understanding, and wide soccer network made him the clear choice to lead us into the future.”
Fath continued, “We spoke extensively about everything the club needs to change in order to win. Alan understands it and is up for the challenge. We are confident he will do great things here in Edmonton.”
Koch has coaching experience at every level of the North American soccer pyramid, including head coaching positions in Major League Soccer (MLS) and the United Soccer League (USL), in both leagues with FC Cincinnati where he was with that club from late 2016 to 2019. In 2018, he guided the club to its best-ever record for wins (23) and total points (77) on their way to a USL Regular Season Championship and a spot in the USL Playoffs. Koch was named USL Coach of the Year at the conclusion of that season.
“It is a privilege to join FC Edmonton and I am grateful to Tom Fath and Eric Newendorp for this opportunity,” said Koch. “I look forward to building on from the foundations that are already in place, and assessing the areas that we need to adjust to have the required success in this new league. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but I am confident that we can have success with the club.”
Koch continued, “I left Canada to gain additional professional experience, but am incredibly excited that this opportunity allows me to further my career while staying close to family. The Canadian Premier League is a welcome opportunity for Canadian players and coaches, and I will work relentlessly to help FC Edmonton achieve its goals. I cannot wait to meet the club staff, players, partners, and supporters groups.”
Born and raised in South Africa, Koch immigrated to Canada in the 1990s initially arriving on a soccer scholarship to play at Simon Fraser University (SFU). While there, he earned All-America honours, and also played professionally in South Africa, Germany, and Ireland. His last professional club was Limerick FC in the League of Ireland, from which he retired from playing professional football in 2001 for medical reasons.
Koch began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Midwestern State University (MSU) in 2003, and received his first head coaching position for Baker University in 2005. He then got the top spot at his alma mater, SFU, where he spent seven seasons in charge of the Clan from 2008 to 2014. In his stint at SFU, Koch led the team to four consecutive GNAC Conference Championships (2010-2013), was named Coach of the Year four consecutive times (2010-2013), and the team became the first non-American team to be ranked in the NCAA’s top 25 (2011). His time at SFU also included back-to-back appearances in the NCAA D2 national semifinals in 2012 and 2013.
In 2014, Koch coached the Canadian National team at the Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem. He led the team to a bronze medal, marking the first and only time that Canada has earned a medal at an international football competition. Koch left the collegiate game in 2014 to join the Vancouver Whitecaps as an MLS scout, and in 2015 became the head coach of Whitecaps2 in the USL. Within the first two years coaching this new franchise, Koch took the youngest team in the league to the USL Western Conference final in 2016. During his time in Vancouver, Koch was the first coach to offer Edmontonian and current Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies a professional playing contract.
Koch was most-recently the head coach of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the USL, but resigned his position with that club to return to Canada to be closer to family.
Koch holds his Canadian and USSF A licenses, UEFA A and B licenses, and has a NSCAA Premier diploma with distinction. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics from SFU and has a master’s degree in Human Resources from MSU. Koch is married to Amy, and they have two daughters, Paris, and Aurora.
FC Edmonton is currently selling Season Memberships, and fans can secure theirs with a deposit of only
$20.21 by visiting
Membership plans and benefits, call the front office and ask to speak to a representative at 780-700-2600 during the hours of 8:30 am and 6 pm MST.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Jessica Rogers
Marketing and Communications Manager (780) 399-6827 | jrogers@fcedmonton.com fcedmonton.canpl.ca
ABOUT FC EDMONTON
Founded by brothers Tom and Dave Fath in 2010, FC Edmonton is a founding member of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), a Tier 1 Canadian professional men’s soccer league that debuted in 2019. Previously, the club was a founding member of the most-recent iteration of the now-defunct North American Soccer League (NASL), making the playoffs twice during its time in that league. The club plays home games at Clarke Stadium and continues to be an outlet for the development of Canadian soccer players to compete at play professionally in their own country.