Shamrocks Appoint Mike Simpson As Head Coach

The Victoria Shamrocks of the Western Lacrosse Association are very pleased to announce that Mike Simpson has been appointed as the new Head Coach, taking over from Bob Heyes. Simpson has been the Shamrocks offensive coach since 2017.

“I am honoured to be able to follow in the footsteps of some of the game’s finest coaches such as Nirmal Dillon, Chris Hall and my great friend Bob Heyes,” said Simpson. “I believe this is one of the most prestigious coaching positions in all of box lacrosse in any league at any level. I want to thank the Shamrocks executive for giving me this chance to help bring another Mann Cup to Victoria and I can’t wait to get started.”

When asked about the appointment, Shamrocks general manager Chris Welch said, “Mike Simpson has earned his stripes and this opportunity. He has proven himself as a leader, not just as a player and a coach in lacrosse but also in his career as a firefighter. He has the respect of our players and everyone in our organization and I’m confident he’ll do an outstanding job. We’re very grateful to his family for supporting him to take this on.”

Simpson had a distinguished career as a player. He played in Junior A for the Esquimalt Legion from 1985 through 1989, taking the assistant captain role in 1988 and donning the “C” as team captain 1989. He played in four Minto Cup championships, winning one with Esquimalt in 1988, the last Victoria team to win the national Junior A crown. In 1990, he moved up to the Senior A Shamrocks where he once again served as team captain from 1994 to 1997. He played in two Mann Cup championships, winning one in 1997, the final year of his playing career.

In 2000, he was named as an assistant coach with the Victoria Junior A Shamrocks and in 2001 he became the head coach. He remained in that position through the 2003 season and accumulated a record of 63 wins and 29 losses with the Junior Shamrocks. In 2004, he was tapped as the first-ever head coach of the expansion Minnesota Swarm franchise in the National Lacrosse League.

Currently, Simpson serves as Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention with the District of Saanich, He is married to Tracey and they have three adult children, Fraser, Jesse, and Ashley. 

The Shamrocks are looking forward to opening the 2021 WLA season at home on Friday, June 25th against the New Westminster Salmonbellies. 

Fans are asked to watch our website and social media for information about tickets, including season tickets carried over from the cancelled 2020 season, in the coming weeks. For all the latest information, visit VictoriaShamrocks.com.