Justin Springer (born 8 July 1993) is a former professional footballer and current coach. Born in Canada, he represented the Saint Kitts and Nevis national team.
Springer began attending the University of Guelph in 2012, where he played for the men's soccer team. In his first season, he played all sixteen games and was named an OUA West First Team All-Star.[1] In his second season, he was once again named an OUA First Team All-Star[2] and was invited to play in the OUA Showcase in the spring.[3] He was once again named an OUA West First Team All-Star in both his third and fourth seasons.[4][5] In his fifth and final season, he captained the team and helped the team with the OUA championship and earn a third-place finish in the 2016 CIS Championship.[6][7] He was named an OUA First Team All-Star for the fifth consecutive year, while also being named a U Sports Second Team All-Canadian.[8][9]
Springer began playing for USL PDL club K–W United FC in 2015. In 2016, he made 13 appearances, scoring one goal and appearing in one playoff match.[10] In 2017, Springer made another 11 appearances for K–W, scoring one goal and making one playoff appearance.[11]
He then spent a couple months on trial with Toronto FC II.[12]
In 2018, Springer joined League1 Ontario club Vaughan Azzurri, making nine appearances in the regular season and appearing in Vaughan's first two playoff matches of the group stage.[13] He then played in the final against Woodbridge Strikers, winning the league championship.[14]
On 8 February 2019, Springer signed his first professional contract with Canadian Premier League side York9.[15][16] He made his debut for York9 in their inaugural match against Forge FC on April 27, 2019.[17] He played in 11 league matches in 2019.[18][19]
While serving as the Guelph United FC associate coach, he appeared in two matches in 2021, playing the full 90 minutes each time.[20]
Springer was born in Canada to a Kittitian father.[21]
He represented Canada at the 2015 FISU Universiade.[22]
He made his debut for the Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team in a friendly 0–0 tie with Nicaragua on 31 August 2016.[23] In September 2019, he declined a national team call-up to pursue minute with his club team, but returned to the squad the for the next set of call-ups in October and November.[24]
He has served as the assistant coach of the University of Guelph Gryphons soccer team since 2018 and also serves as the Technical Manager of the youth Guelph Soccer Club.[25] In 2021, he was named as co-head coach of Guelph United F.C. in League1 Ontario, alongside Keith Mason.[26] In 2021, after Guelph United won the league title, he was named co-coach of the year with fellow Guelph Associate coach Keith Mason.[27] In 2023, he became the full-time head coach, with Mason becoming the General Manager.[28] At the end of the 2024 season, he stepped down as coach of the first team for personal reasons, but would remain with the club in another capacity.[28]
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| K–W United | 2015[29] | Premier Development League | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2016[10] | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||||
| 2017[11] | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | ||
| Vaughan Azzurri | 2018[30] | League1 Ontario | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| York9 FC | 2019[31] | Canadian Premier League | 11 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| Guelph United FC | 2021[20] | League1 Ontario | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 48 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 61 | 2 | ||
K–W United
Vaughan Azzurri
Guelph United
Individual
