鈥淭his is my happy place,鈥� Harry Green says while standing on a grass pitch with a soccer ball in hand. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 out on the field, life just stands still.鈥�
He鈥檚 speaking into a video camera. The man holding the camera is Tim Hardy, a professional filmmaker who has credits directing, shooting and producing content for the likes of the Discovery Channel and HGTV. This is different though.
Harry and Tim met a decade ago when Harry started coaching Tim鈥檚 son Ben in soccer. They grew close, and got a whole lot closer four years ago when Harry came to the filmmaker with a request.
鈥淗e came knocking on my door, tears in his eyes, saying that he鈥檇 been diagnosed with cancer and wanted me to make a team video,鈥� says Tim. 鈥淎 video for his team, not knowing how long he was going to live. Totally selfless 鈥� he didn鈥檛 want me to document his death, he didn鈥檛 want me to document his life, he wanted to make sure that these kids had a memory of the season.鈥�
Tim agreed, but as soon as he started filming he realized that this was not going to be an ordinary team video of quick pep talks, spectacular saves and big goals. That wasn鈥檛 the story. The story was Harry.
鈥淗e selflessly didn鈥檛 want this to be a video about himself, but my hidden motivation was to show the community that didn鈥檛 know him just how great he was, his approach to coaching,鈥� says Tim. He pinned a microphone on Harry, backed away and watched in awe as one season turned into three, as boys turned into young men all the while guided by a coach who always put the players first.
鈥淗e wears his heart on his sleeve and he鈥檚 truly motivated by making these players better human beings first and better soccer players second,鈥� says Tim. 鈥淎s a professional (filmmaker) it was wonderful because he was unaware of the camera and unaware of the microphone on him. He just kind of forgot it was there, not knowing my intent, so that allowed me to get a true sense of him. I loved it because I got this kind of unique perspective into who he is and how he works. I get to hear him mutter to himself, and whisper to the kids. He walks over to the parents on the sidelines and chats with them about their lives, encourages the kids and praises the kids to the parents. I get to hear all that. I鈥檓 sitting 50 yards away watching and listening in. It was amazing.鈥澛�
The connection between the players and the coach shines through. Tim asked this group of teenaged boys 鈥� a demographic not known for sincerity and introspection 鈥� if any of them wanted to record a message about Harry, and the response was overwhelming.
鈥淭here was a lineup,鈥� says Tim. 鈥淓very single one of them wanted to say how great this guy is, and just the impact that he has had on them personally and as soccer players. 鈥� They were genuine. Many of these kids play other sports with other coaches. Harry is not their first coach, not their only coach, so these kids, the common thread I had between all of them was that they truly believed that he loved them and wanted them to become amazing human beings first and excellent soccer players second.鈥�
This shines through in the video.
鈥淚 think he really, really cares about his players,鈥� says player Matthew Campbell. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something special.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 not your typical soccer coach,鈥� adds Ben Hardy, Tim鈥檚 son. 鈥淗e鈥檚 like a friend to the players and the parents. He鈥檚 definitely a different type of guy, he鈥檚 not like anybody else you鈥檒l ever meet. He makes soccer even more fun than it already is. I wouldn鈥檛 have played this much soccer if it wasn鈥檛 for Harry.鈥澛犅犅犅犅�
On March 15 of this year Harry beamed as he was honoured at the North Shore Sport Awards. He was given the Spirit of Sport Award for his coaching with the North 麻豆传媒映画Football Club as well as a tournament he created.
鈥淭he club used to put on a jamboree at the end of the year and bring all the teams in and have a day of short games,鈥� says David Porter, a fellow soccer coach who met Harry through coaching his son Curtis. 鈥淔or whatever reason they stopped doing it, and so Harry took it upon himself.鈥�
The event the coach created, which simply became known as Harry鈥檚 Tournament, was geared around getting as many players involved as possible in a year-end celebration.
鈥淚f your team wasn鈥檛 going, it didn鈥檛 matter,鈥� says Porter. 鈥淵ou could come and catch on with a team that was on the field. And if a team was short players, somebody who had just come off the field could fill in. You had a mishmash of teams and players, and it was great.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 about winning, says Porter. It was about playing.
鈥淗e truly had the players鈥� interest at heart. 鈥� There was a good vibe to it. It was very informal, very impromptu and it was pretty much what it should have been.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 just the tournament that put the players above all else. That was Harry鈥檚 whole philosophy.
鈥淚 think coaches today feel like perhaps the best way to get through to a kid is to instruct and to point out faults and weaknesses. Harry did the opposite,鈥� says Tim. 鈥淗e started and ended with encouragement. When you listen to him on the sidelines it鈥檚 praising the kids for what they鈥檙e doing well and privately pulling them aside to tell them what they can improve. 鈥� There are so many negative stories you read about. Soccer moms and crazy hockey dads, intense coaches that forget about the fun and the joy of sports. I just love the fact that he was able to provide my kid, and hundreds of other kids on the North Shore, a true sense of what sport is all about.鈥�
About six months ago Tim and Harry met to record the final monologue for the video. Harry had just learned that his cancer was back, worse than ever. Sitting again on a soccer field, Harry looks much more frail than the man he was when Tim started filming, racing around the field in scrimmages with his players. That was Harry鈥檚 choice, says Tim.
鈥淗arry was well into chemotherapy and radiation at the time and did not look well. He has this signature hair, this amazing hair, and all of a sudden does this chemo and radiation and the hair is falling out, he鈥檚 lost a ton of weight. He arrived to shoot that final interview with me and he pulled off his toque 鈥� I had assumed that he was going to keep it on to hide the hair loss and the signs of the sickness, but it was quite the opposite. He wanted to take it off and show people, 鈥楬ey, this is who I am, this is what I鈥檓 going through. I want to be real.鈥� There was no hiding.鈥�
Harry opens his statement by calling himself the 鈥渕ost blessed and luckiest man in the world鈥� because of all the support he鈥檚 received from the community. He talks about his love for his family, how proud he is of his son Curtis and daughter Kaylia, how lucky he is to have his wife Christine.
There鈥檚 a message for the players and their parents as well 鈥� the coach still coaching.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate what we do sometimes to a lot of kids,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey have so much pressure these days trying to find their way. If I could make one smile and make one come out to practice instead of spending their time in front of a computer, to me I鈥檝e done my job. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 important to me. But I would like to ask the parents to spend more time with their kids and being able to talk to them.鈥�
Life can change in a minute, he says. He knows better than anyone.
鈥淚f this is my last message, you鈥檙e the best,鈥� he says to end the video message. It鈥檚 not clear exactly who he is speaking to at that moment. I like to think he is speaking to all of us.
鈥淪ee you on the field again sometime soon buddy,鈥� he says.
Harry Green passed away on Monday, April 23.
Thanks to him, there鈥檚 a new generation of North Shore players who have grown into young men who all see the soccer field the same way Harry did. It鈥檚 their happy place.
鈥� 鈥� 鈥�
A Celebration of Life for Harry Green has been planned for June 16. Location and details will be posted at .
To see Tim Hardy鈥檚 video visit .
