There’s something about goalkeepers and firefighters—the unshakable calm under pressure, the ability to make split-second decisions that can change everything, and the unwavering commitment to protecting those around them. For Mark Village, these traits defined his career in soccer. Now, they will define his next chapter as he trades his gloves for firefighting gear in his hometown of Abbotsford.

Born on November 25, 1991, in Abbotsford, BC Village’s journey in soccer was never about the spotlight—it was about the grind. A late bloomer in goal, he didn’t fully commit to the position until he was 10 years old. At the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), he set program records in clean sheets and saves, earning a 2012 Canada West All-Star selection. But opportunities for Canadian goalkeepers were scarce, and he had to carve out his own path.

His first professional break came in 2015 with Whitecaps FC 2, where he spent two seasons proving his reliability. In 2018, he took on a new challenge with FC Cincinnati, playing in front of one of the most passionate fan bases in North America. Then came a defining moment: the birth of the Canadian Premier League (CPL). Village joined Pacific FC for its inaugural 2019 season, making history as the club’s first-ever starting goalkeeper. Over 16 appearances that season, his leadership proved invaluable to a young squad still finding its identity.

But for Village, soccer was never just about the games—it was about the people. So when the opportunity arose to transition into coaching, he embraced it. In February 2020, at just 28 years old, he retired as a player and stepped into a new role as Pacific FC’s goalkeeper coach. Under his guidance, Pacific’s goalkeepers became sharper, more composed, and more confident. His mentorship played a key role in the club’s 2021 CPL Championship win—one of the proudest moments of his career.

After three years with Pacific, he made another major move in 2022, joining Vancouver FC as their goalkeeper coach for the club’s inaugural season. It was a return to the Lower Mainland, a place where his career had begun, and another opportunity to help shape the future of Canadian soccer. He had been part of two expansion teams as both a player and a coach—helping build something from the ground up was in his DNA.

His soccer career is filled with milestones—moments that don’t just tell the story of a player, but of a professional who helped shape Canadian soccer during a critical period of its growth.

Over the course of his career, Village made more than 50 professional appearances, a testament to his consistency and reliability in a position where trust is everything. Whether he was stepping between the posts as a starter or pushing his teammates in training, he was known as a goalkeeper who brought composure and leadership every time he was called upon.

His early years saw him develop at the University of the Fraser Valley, where he established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the program’s history. In 2012, he was named a Canada West All-Star, a prestigious honour recognizing him as one of the top players in university soccer—a key step that helped pave the way for his professional career.

When he finally broke into the professional game, it wasn’t an easy road. Village didn’t take shortcuts. He worked his way through multiple leagues, competing in five teams across three different professional systems, a testament to his adaptability and perseverance. He started in USL with Whitecaps FC 2 and FC Cincinnati, learning what it meant to compete at a high level. Then, in 2019, he found himself in a historic moment for Canadian soccer.

When the Canadian Premier League (CPL) was founded in 2019, giving domestic players a new opportunity to play professionally in their home country. Village was part of that history, signing with Pacific FC as the club’s first-ever starting goalkeeper. Being a team’s first goalkeeper isn’t just about stopping shots—it’s about setting a tone, laying a foundation, and being a leader as a new club finds its identity. He made 16 appearances in Pacific’s inaugural season, helping to stabilize a young team and establish a winning culture that would carry on long after his playing days ended.

Today was a good day.

cc: @_smalltown #ForTheIsle #PacificFC #CanPL pic.twitter.com/qpSDPVYVIp

— Pacific FC (@Pacificfccpl) April 29, 2019

But his most significant contribution to Pacific FC came after he hung up his gloves. Just months after retiring as a player, he took on the role of goalkeeper coach, stepping into a leadership position that allowed him to shape the next generation of talent. His impact was immediate. Under his guidance, Pacific’s goalkeepers grew in confidence, technical skill, and resilience, culminating in one of the biggest achievements in the club’s history—a 2021 CPL Championship win.

That title meant everything—not just to the players, but to Village himself. In just two years, Pacific had gone from a new club to the best team in Canada’s domestic league, and he had been a key part of that journey, both as a player and a coach. Few get to leave a club having made an impact on both sides of the game, but Village’s legacy at Pacific will always carry weight, both in the record books and in the culture he helped build.

Throughout his time on Vancouver Island Mark Village worked alongside several promising goalkeepers who are now making giant strides of their own in the professional game.

Penticton-native Isaac Boehmer worked with Village on loan from Whitecaps FC through the 2021 CPL Season. Fast forward to 2024 and the now 21-year old has earned the Best Young Canadian Player Award, after saving two penalty kicks in the shootout of the 2024 Canadian Championship final between Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Toronto FC.

Boehmer isn’t the only B.C. born goalkeeper to have gone onto greater things since working with Village. Current Pacific FC goalkeeper Emil Gazdov has become the Tridents locked in starter over the past two seasons having also worked with Mark from 2021-2022. Gazdov’s 2024 season at Pacific FC saw him lead the CPL in clean sheets winning Goalkeeper of the Year, maturing into one of the top young goalkeepers in the country, and being recently rumoured to move to MLS side CF Montreal.

His career later took him back to the Lower Mainland, joining Vancouver FC for their inaugural season in 2023. Just like he had done at Pacific, he played a role in helping lay the foundation for a new club, helping to shape a new team from scratch. It was another full-circle moment in a career full of them—a career defined not just by individual accolades, but by his ability to build something meaningful wherever he went.

Mark spent two seasons with Vancouver FC, helping push Callum Irving to have career seasons with the Eagles that saw Irving earn a Goalkeeper of the Year nomination in 2024. Village’s steadfast character and leadership skills within the first team even saw him take the reigns for a Vancouver FC match. On September 16th, 2023 Mark Village made his Head Coaching debut with the Eagles, replacing a suspended Afshin Ghotbi. Vancouver FC would go on to have one of their best team performances of the season in a tight match that saw Cavalry earn a hard-fought victory.

Yet, even as he dedicated himself to Canadian soccer, another calling had been quietly pulling him in a new direction.

For years, Village had been drawn to firefighting, a profession with deep roots in the local soccer community. In British Columbia—especially in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley—there has long been a strong connection between footballers and the fire service. The Vancouver Firefighters FC, once a powerhouse in amateur soccer, embodied this link. Many former players, particularly goalkeepers and defenders, have transitioned into firefighting, drawn by the parallels between the two professions.

Both demand composure in chaos. Both require trust in your team. Both put you in situations where hesitation isn’t an option. In soccer, that might mean diving at an opponent’s feet to prevent a goal; in firefighting, it means running into a burning building when others are running out.

Now, instead of making a game-saving stop in the dying minutes of a match, he’ll be making life-saving decisions in real-world emergencies—where the stakes are even higher.

For years, he trained his mind and body to react under pressure, to stay locked in when the world around him was moving at full speed. The same qualities that made him an asset on the pitch—leadership, discipline, and an unwavering sense of duty—will now serve him in the fire service.

Abbotsford Fire Department isn’t just gaining a former athlete; they’re gaining a teammate, a leader, and someone who knows what it means to put everything on the line for the people beside him.

Football may have been his first calling, but service has always been at the heart of who he is. Whether it was protecting his goal or helping shape the future of Canadian soccer, he has always been about more than just the game. Now, he’s stepping into a new role—one where he’ll protect not just a net, but the people of his hometown.

The gloves may be coming off, but Mark Village is still a last line of defence. Only now, his biggest saves will come far from the soccer field.