Paul James

Paul John James (born November 11, 1963) is a retired professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He was a one-time CONCACAF champion who represented Canada at both the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games and 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He later worked as a soccer analyst and soccer coach. He is an honoured member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame. In 1998, was granted his Canada Soccer Coaching "A" Licence. After working as a player-coach in the Canadian Soccer League, he later served as a coach with Canada's national youth teams from 1998 to 2001, including the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2001. A graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, James has added to his academic credentials by completing the prestigious Football Industries MBA (FIMBA) at the University of Liverpool in England. In February 2012, Paul revealed he had suffered from a crack cocaine dependency for many years. Paul was on a hunger strike to protest his mistreatment by York University over his "Substance Disability". Club career James developed into a top class midfield player while with the Toronto Blizzard. On the Blizzard team, James scored against the then famed New York Cosmos. He played in the North American Soccer League and Canadian Soccer League, where he earned first team all-star honours on four consecutive occasions. In 1986, he played in the National Soccer League with Toronto Blizzard. He also had a short stint with English league outfit Doncaster Rovers.