In the truest sense of the word, Donald Lightbody is an original ‘pioneer’ of the girls soccer movement in the Lower Mainland. Donald Lightbody was the driving force behind the establishment of the SurDel Girls Soccer Association in 1974.

In the early 1970s while he was coaching his son’s soccer team, Donald realized that there were always a group of girls hanging around practices. In order to keep the boys focused and the girls busy, he would throw a couple balls to the girls to play with until the end of practice. If all went well, Donald would allow the girls and boys to scrimmage together for the last 15 minutes of practice. This became a regular routine and Donald soon realized that the girls had nowhere to play organized soccer. Donald Lightbody approached the North Delta Boys Soccer Association and the North Delta Girls Field Hockey, but neither group had any interest in developing a partnership with girls soccer. So in 1973, Donald Lightbody, his wife, Pat, and five other soccer enthusiasts (Norma Mason, Maureen and Brian Darby, and Marilyn and Len Baker) set in motion the establishment of the SurDel Girls Soccer Association. The same group was instrumental in helping set up girls soccer associations in Whalley, Richmond and Semiahmoo before turning those organizations over to separate executive groups.