With a full time gig as the Canadian soccer team goalie coach, a website and a side business producing demonstration videos, as well as a second soccer book in the works, Shel Brodsgaard is one busy man.

Brodsgaard, who's from Victoria but is now based out of Vancouver, spends at least three quarters of the year travelling as a national coach, which when combined with his business endeavours, leaves him little time to relax. But from the minute you meet him, you get the feeling he doesn't really mind putting in the effort. For Brodsgaard, soccer truly is a passion.

He's been playing soccer pretty much since he was able to walk and joined his first organized team at the age of four.

'My dad played soccer as well,' he explained over coffee Thursday. 'So it was just a real family thing for us. It was a big part of our social life. My parents are European, so it was a big thing for us.'

Brodsgaard's immediate love for the game would take him far, first at the provincial level as a member of Team B.C. at both under-16 and under-18 competitions, and later professionally in the Canadian Soccer League with the Edmonton Brickmen, Victoria Vistas, Nova Scotia Clippers, North York Rockers and Winnipeg Fury.

His career turned international when he played a season with the Tacoma Starts of the Major Indoor Soccer League in the U.S., and then he rounded out his time on the field with Denmark's Hvidovre Football Club. He was also a member of the 1992 Canadian Olympic Qualifying team.

Brodsgaard said winning a gold medal at the Francophone Games in 1999 was a 'big moment' in his career, as well as his first pro contract when he turned 15.

'It was the first time I had to learn to be away from home officially.'

He eventually returned home and began working with the women's national team in 2000, although he didn't have an official position with the club until last year. He said a full-time goalkeeper coach has always been needed in Canadian soccer, something they have in Europe, so he tried to get his foot in the door and got lucky when he met the right people.

'It's what I didn't get when I played at this level and I think it's made a huge difference.'

Norwegian Even Pellerud, who coached the gold-medal winning women's soccer team at the 1995 World Cup, joined Canada's women's program in 2000 as coach of the World Cup squad, and it was Pellerud who asked Brodsgaard to help out, and eventually helped him land the full-time position.

'He's probably one of the best and most renowned coaches in the world,' said Brodsgaard. 'I get to learn from someone with extensive knowledge, it's really kind of a mentorship training experience.

'We're soccer fanatics. That's all we really do in life.'

He said while you don't really lead a normal life when you're a national coach, due to all of the travel, it's quite a luxury to have a jet-set lifestyle.

For instance, he recently travelled to Thailand for the FIFA under-19 women's world championships. The last U-19 world championships were held in Edmonton in 2002, where the Canadians were a pleasant surprise, losing 1-0 to a very strong American team in the final.

'Thailand was sort of a good chance for us to prove we could do it again,' said Brodsgaard. 'We were exceptionally well prepared. But unfortunately at this tournament, we just didn't have the luck we needed and we were out early.'

The coach said he was still very proud of the team and he, along with Pellerud and U-19 head coach Ian Bridge, have been spending more time with the younger athletes to make them more aware of the experiences at the international level.

'Now, they understand the routine of an international athlete more than ever before. That's just tremendous growth within the program.

'We're sort of laying the foundation for the years to come, to be champions at this high of a level. It doesn't happen overnight, it takes a lot of time.'

When in Thailand, the U-19 squad played a lot of their games at Caron Beach, a resort in Phuket, which has been mainly destroyed by the South Asian tsunami disaster. He said the girls were swimming in the Indian Ocean and one of the hotels they stayed at was washed out.

'It certainly hit close to home. I know that at any given time, anyone of us could have been there snorkeling, wondering which way to go.'

But that realization won't keep Brodsgaard away from Thailand, a place he said he would visit again without hesitation.

'I felt really welcome, the people were very friendly. It's a very vibrant culture. We had some meaningful conversations with the locals. I liked the food, the girls loved the shopping. It was an eye-opening experience.'

Brodsgaard has been keeping in constant contact with his friend who works in a hotel at Caron Beach, trying to do whatever he can to help.

The Canadian coach will be sharing his world championship experience in Thailand with Yukoners this weekend, during a public presentation at the Yukon College lecture hall on Saturday. Everyone is welcome and admission is by donation to the local Canada Games teams.

He and Canadian women's World Cup team member Andrea Neil, who is also captain and assistant coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team, will also be working with the Games squads and providing a coaching clinic Jan. 7-9.

'It's basically an evaluation of Canada Games players, seeing what level they're at,' explained Brodsgaard. 'Maybe we'll find some strengths and some weaknesses to focus on.'

Brodsgaard has been to the territory once before, when he ran a camp for Yukon women's soccer players, but this is the first time he's worked with the local youth.

'I was floored by the response the first time, the energy, the passion and the enthusiasm,' he said. 'We're here just to share the passion with everyone.'

Brodsgaard said while the Yukon athletes are obviously challenged by the location they live in, they can't let that slow them down. Things such as indoor gym time, watching international soccer on TV and downloading the latest information and drills off the Internet can help immensely in a player's development, he said.

'To me, the education doesn't come from simply playing. Keep yourself focused and work toward achieving your goals.'

The coach said he remembers what an impact it had on him as a youngster, to have role models from the national team come to his club and just talk to him. And he hopes he can have the same affect.

'I just hope people realize what a commitment this is and obviously the sacrifices we make. I want them to look at what we do and the way we do it, to hopefully make choices in their own lives.

'Soccer is an amazing outlet in which to travel and see the world, but it takes a tremendous amount of time and training. I hope people can get an idea of what it takes to get there.'

In fact, Brodsgaard is currently writing a book called Goals and Dreams, based on the success of the women's program in the last four years and all the ups and downs in getting there. He said it basically covers three world championships and features a lot of interviews with players.

'It's really focused at the teenage players, to show them the development and get them interested.'

The book will be available in the spring off of Brodsgaard's website, www.islandkeeperclinic.com. He's also in the middle of making a new instructional video on speed and agility training, and he said a lot of the exercises in the first session with the Yukon Canada Games teams on Saturday will be in the video. It should be ready by the end of January and Brodsgaard expects the Yukon Soccer Association will have a couple copies for people to view if they don't wish to buy one.