Naeem Haque of The King’s University has been named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Badminton Coach of the Year.
Haque was honoured at the 2022 CCAA Badminton National Championships, hosted by the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, AB.
He previously won the CCAA award in 2004 and is now a three-time Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Coach of the Year.
“With more than 30 years of coaching experience, Naeem is one of the most recognized and decorated coaches within the CCAA,” said Michael Kopinak, CCAA Badminton Convenor. “This year, his vast experience helped him successfully navigate his team through the COVID-19 environment by capturing the 2022 ACAC team title and qualifying no less than five athletes to the CCAA Championships.”
The Eagles badminton team finished atop the standings at both ACAC tournaments before capturing the team title at the ACAC Conference Championships.
This season, Haque prioritized his team’s health and wellness, as several players struggled because of the pandemic as well as other personal issues. It is very important to Haque that every player feels like he or she is a part of the team, appreciated and respected, and that they have opportunities to lead and encourage their teammates as well.
Haque is involved in several Identification Camps hosted at The King’s throughout the year, and he also runs a Badminton Camp in the summer. He treats all his players like family and is still in contact with many student-athletes that he has coached over the past 20 years.
In addition, Haque has run a Badminton Club in St. Albert for 30 years, coached a Jr. club program and runs free coaching clinics at high schools, where he makes sure kids are introduced to the sport of badminton and have a positive, fun experience playing.
“Naeem came to The King’s with a very specific plan for building our badminton program towards attaining national level athletes by increasing our competitiveness a little every year,” said Grace Scott, Director of Athletics at The King’s University. “He has done a tremendous job of not only attaining this goal but building into the lives of our student-athletes as well.”
Other nominees for the CCAA Badminton Coach of the Year award were Rick Leung of the Seneca Sting (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) and Michael Miller of the Mount Allison Mounties (Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association).
CCAA Coach of the Year winners receive a customized ring provided by Jostens Canada, the Official Ring Supplier of the CCAA.
Media Contact:
Rodney Wilson / rodney@ccaa.ca
Manager, Communications & Events
