Simpson wants to keep Amherst active
Former professional soccer player is new active living co-ordinator
When Dave Simpson says being active has been his “whole life,” he isn’t kidding.
Raised in North York, Ont., just 15 minutes away from the CN Tower and SkyDome, his mother involved him in soccer when he was only three.
“I was playing defence but all I was really doing was picking dandelions.”
Those humble beginnings set Simpson on a path towards a professional soccer career and has led him to a new home in Amherst. Now, Simpson is taking on a new role, where he hopes to get the community to join him in his active lifestyle.
On Jan. 31, Simpson took over as the Town of Amherst’s active living coordinator.
Replacing his predecessor Allison Watson, Simpson is looking to build on her work and learn more about the community.
“I look forward to helping youth, people my age and older folks become more active,” he says. “My biggest challenge will be to convince people to do what they already know, which is being active is the best thing for your health and the health of those around you.”
Simpson is already a big supporter of the town and wants the youth to know there are big opportunities in Amherst.
“When I talk to people in Amherst, especially our youth, they keep telling me where they’re going to go, that they’re going to leave,” he says. “What I like to tell them is the future of Amherst is brighter than you think.”
Simpson believes there is space in Nova Scotia, and Amherst, to grow.
“There are opportunities here for you to grow in a profession. People are moving here for a reason. Moving here was the best decision we’ve made.”
SOCCER CAREER
Simpson’s competitive spirit emerged at a young age as he strove to compete against his brother, two and a half years older than him. He started playing soccer with kids older than him, first in house league, then on more competitive teams.
Growing up in a multicultural society also made him curious about the different cultures of the world, and soccer helped him satisfy that curiosity.
When he was 14, Simpson became a member of a soccer team that represented Ontario in various competitions. A year later, he joined the U15 and U17 Canadian national soccer teams, which took him to Germany and other locations. He spent three years on the national team.
At the Wales International Soccer Tournament, he set a goal scoring record at the age of 15, with 16 goals in eight games.
Simpson was scouted by such major soccer clubs as Manchester United, Liverpool, Southampton, Tottenham and Blackburn. In the end, Southampton gave him a shot, but Simpson incurred an injury.
“They told me they would have taken me if I hadn’t of been injured,” he says.
Two years later, he turned professional when VFB Stuttgart offered him a position. As a professional, he played in Belgium, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Thailand before retiring in 2012 at the age of 28 because of a rare eye condition known as Stargardt Eye Disease.
“I had trouble tracking the white ball in the bright lights of the stadiums,” he says.
POST-PLAYING CAREER
Simpson moved back to Ontario, where he started an industrial cleaning business that took care of several government buildings. That company morphed into a management company that ran a hotel. It also brought him back to his fiancé and now wife, Janelle.
Later, he began working at the Ontario Science Centre, where he oversaw exhibit maintenance. At the same time, he worked for the Town of Ajax where he scheduled the use of that town’s facilities.
While at the science centre, Simpson was a member of its Diversity, Inclusion and AntiRacism action team as well as a member of the Science Centre’s innovators ball team, which successfully raised funds for disenfranchised children to participate in science classes at the centre.
While living in Ajax, his love for nature was rekindled by a conservation area that was on the outskirts of town.
“Some people living in a city don’t know that because that’s all they know. I was tired of seeing cement and we had the desire to see more of Canada, especially Eastern Canada.”
MOVING TO AMHERST
In 2019, his growing family and some family friends visited Nova Scotia.
They stayed in Pugwash and visited Amherst frequently. He returned later that year when a local church asked him to give a testimonial.
Following that visit, the Simpsons, which now included daughter, Jaya, son, David, and mom, Ann, decided they were moving here. The pandemic temporarily curtailed their plans before they bought a house in Maccan in 2021.
While working as a seasonal parks attendant with Town of Amherst, colleague Matt Selig encouraged him to apply for the active living coordinator position.
“I know with this job that I won’t feel it’s just a job. It’s going to be one I’m passionate about. One that I won’t worry about doing overtime because it is something I want to do.”
In welcoming Simpson to his new role, CAO Jason MacDonald says, “Dave has shown dedication, loyalty and great work during his time with us so far and we are very excited to have him join us on a full-time basis.”