They call it the most thankless job in amateur soccer...that of Registrar!  You work in the background doing paperwork, moving players around, cleaning up databases, approving callups, etc. etc. etc., all with very little recognition.  To make matters worse you are sometimes even the focus of player or manager frustration.  And yet without fanfare, John Cooper quietly and efficiently filled this vital role for many years as the Gloucester Seniors Registrar.  How many of us knew that every season John was working in the background to register teams and players, and do whatever else was required to let us play the sport we love!

And yet John (pictured here with his amazing wife Jean) didn't stop there.  From 1975 (!) onwards, he was a Gloucester soccer parent, a player, a coach, a board member, a Gloucester Seniors "Volunteer of the Year".

He was also an innovator of the game...if you play (or will one day) at the OCSL Masters level (over 50), you can thank John who pursued this dream for several years until enough people agreed with his vision.  The outdoor OCSL Masters division that was so fragile to start (with only 6 teams) is now thriving with around 30 teams today!

John was relentless in finding new ways to play as he aged!  He led an over-60 soccer group which convenes every summer Wednesday morning at Hornets Nest (sometimes on Mondays & Fridays as well).  John adapted the rules to "three-touch" (i.e. less running, more passing) to accommodate the mobility requirements of the group.  He was very proud of this creation and always happy to say with a smile to whoever would listen that "It still looks like soccer!"

For all who enjoy the sport of soccer in Ottawa, we owe John an immense debt of gratitude.  He shouldered so much more of the load than anyone should have had to with thousands of volunteer hours over many, many years of service.  His passing on December 5, 2023 was an immense loss to the Gloucester soccer community.