George Singh looks back at his Saints years

I recently reached out to the larger soccer community to see if anyone out there could give us information and memories about the Hibernian & Caledonian Saints, a Seattle soccer club that won numerous trophies and had a great run in several leagues, including the PCSL.

The response has been great! In the future I will be visiting with team owner Bobby Lane, and hope to get a few photos from him and other sources.

Today we hear from George Singh. See below.

“I am happy to talk about the Saints. The 2005 run (to the USASA title) was a great time. Different in the way that I was the only player from the old team. Me and Viet Nguyen ( Seattle Sounder) captained the team. The kids that played for that team were a special group of players. We had a good portion coming from Seattle University but were also represented by University of Washington and some Seattle Sounder alumni. That year the SU group won the Division II National Championship as well.

We made it through Regionals by beating Santa Clara Sporting, one of the toughest clubs in the country. Very heated game played at Starfire from what I remember.

Some key players from that team were Cam Weaver, Bobby Macalister, Alex Chursky, to name a few.

The whole trip to Dallas for Nationals was funded by Bobby Lane. We stayed at a first class hotel and had a wonderful time. On a side note Bob spent thousands and thousands of dollars from his own pocket on all the Saints trips. What he did for Washington soccer can not be put into words. Without Bobby hundreds of players would not be playing professionally or coaching. He gave everyone the opportunity to hone our craft in a really neat environment.

I think its time for PCSL to return to the Puget Sound if the right pieces are in place. First ownership is key, top players—men and women—need to be together to make it work. Having both genders really builds a fun culture. It’s hard to ask players to travel on their free weekends if it’s not a good time. Anyone thinking about playing in a league like that should have the right mindset. Whether or not you are trying to make it to MLS or just want to be as good a player as you can be. Taking your craft seriously takes a good environment with like minded people.

I got involved with the Saints after I came to the conclusion that A-League soccer was not for me (Singh was a Sounder in that league in the late 1990’s). They were the next best game in town besides the Sounders. Saints played Sounders, Seattle Pacific University and many others during our preseason and never backed down from anyone. I needed a place to train hard but still hold a job. The PCSL games are played mostly on grass fields so for me it was a no brainer. Playing for the Hibs meant everything to me. Doing what I loved with good friends.”

Cheers,

George Singh

South Regional Director www.SeattleUnited.com