Former CNH director Mike McLenaghen to be inducted in the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame

by Julie Cheng

The first time I saw Michael McLenaghen in action, he was teaching soccer to a bunch of kids, including my daughter. As he showed them how to dribble, touching the ball with one side of the foot then the other, I remember thinking, “this guy has some skill.”

I knew Mike as the director of community services at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH), where he retired after 21 years in October 2016 (RCC News, November 2016). He never liked to talk about himself, even when RCC News sent a student reporter to interview him. He used to spend time talking with me and my family about the importance of keeping children interested in sports well past their teen years. He promoted gymnastics classes as a way to encourage strength, spatial awareness, balance and flexibility in kids.

Skill indeed. Mike has played in the North American Soccer League and on the Canadian national soccer team in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Now Mike’s skill – and heart – will be recognized when he’s inducted into the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame on March 24, 2023.

What does this recognition mean to him? Read on for what Mike had to say.