Kodiaks’ Carey hangs up cleats

By Lethbridge Herald on March 12, 2025.

Lethbridge Polytechnic Photo

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

Sean Carey has officially retired his cleats on his coaching career with Lethbridge Polytechnic Kodiaks soccer and futsal programs.

While Carey notified the school’s athletics of his retirement back in November, the Polytechnic made it official this week via a press release that was sent out.

Carey couldn’t commit his 100 per cent focus to his players anymore and cited he was feeling tired from the travel from Vulcan after eight years and was facing a new season of recruitment as factors in his retirement.

“I just couldn’t give it (a) 100 per cent and it’s not fair on the players for that reason. So I made that decision and they can get a fresh voice too ,” said Carey.

Carey retires as the all-time winningest coach of the in the Kodiaks futsal and soccer programs and he credits that to hard work from both himself and his staff.

“The hours and hours and hours that they put in for away from friends and family,” said Carey.

“This is an accolade for everybody that’s helped me coach as well at the college and I like to think I’m a decent delegator when it comes to that kind of stuff. So we made a really good team there and the players responded accordingly and they got some rewards out of it.”

Carey tried to instill playing with heart over the years.

“There’s such a big turnover every year on the teams that they have to play with a lot of passion and a lot of heart,” said Carey.

“If you don’t win the game but you’ve let it all out there, then you can be proud of what you’ve done. That was kind of our motto was you leave it all out there and good things will happen.”

The athletes and the love for them is what kept him coming back.

“Seeing those athletes become young people in the world get their education and go off into their careers,” said Carey.

“When you talk to them after they’ve graduated and they’re always thankful of what they had as a Kodiak. It really felt like you were making a big impact in young people’s lives and that was the main goal.”

In the 10-and-a-half years between two stints, which were between 2009-2011 and 2017-2025 as the Kodiaks coach, Carey won 91 soccer matches and 37 futsal matches, was a four time women’s coach of the year for ACAC and he was a two-time winner for men’s soccer and won a national college coach of the year award on the men’s side.

He coached multiple All-Conference awarded players, two All-Canadian players and two national All-Canadian awarded players.

He led the Kodiak men’s soccer team to their a ACAC gold in 2019 and nationals appearance in Ontario in that same year and led the women’s program to its first regular season title since 1994 in the 2023-2024 season.