Vancouver FC has announced that defender David Norman Jr. has retired from professional football ahead of the 2026 Canadian Premier League (CPL) season.
Norman, 27, concludes a nine-year professional career that saw him represent clubs in Canada, England, Scotland, and Ireland before returning home to join Vancouver FC ahead of the 2024 season.
A Meaningful Chapter at Home
Over two seasons with the Eagles, Norman made 49 appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals and adding two assists. He played a key role in several historic moments for the club, including Vancouver FC’s first-ever TELUS Canadian Championship Final appearance in 2025 and its inaugural Concacaf Champions Cup campaign. “The past two seasons with Vancouver FC were especially meaningful,” said Norman. “To compete every week in front of my friends and family, representing my hometown, is something I will always cherish. “I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to play the game I’ve loved since I was a kid at the professional level. Over the past nine years, I’ve made lifelong memories and had the privilege of sharing the field with incredible people who have impacted me both on and off the pitch.
“While I’m ready to step away from the sport and pursue new ambitions, I look forward to staying connected to this club and community. I will certainly be a proud supporter at Willoughby Stadium in the years ahead.”
Success Abroad
Norman joined The Eagles following a successful spell overseas. In 2023, he helped Northampton Town secure promotion from League Two to League One in the English Football League. Later that year, he lifted the FAI Cup with St. Patrick’s Athletic in Ireland’s Premier Division.
From the Lower Mainland to the Professional Ranks
Born in New Westminster and raised in Coquitlam, Norman comes from a family deeply rooted in the local soccer community. His grandfather was one of the founders of Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer Club (CMFSC) and established numerous development camps across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. His father, David Norman Sr., represented the Vancouver Whitecaps across three separate stints during the 1980s and 1990s and was a member of Canada’s historic 1986 FIFA World Cup squad, the first Canadian men’s national team to qualify for the tournament.
Following in those footsteps, Norman began his youth career with CMFSC before joining the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency program at age nine. After one season at Oregon State University, he signed his first professional contract with Whitecaps FC 2 in 2017. Norman enjoyed an outstanding rookie campaign, earning WFC2 Player of the Year honours after leading the team in duels won, chances created, and assists. Later that year, he signed with the Whitecaps first team and made his senior debut in the 2018 Canadian Championship.
He would go on to gain additional experience through loan spells with Queen of the South in Scotland and Pacific FC in the CPL, before being traded to Inter Miami in 2019. Norman returned to the CPL in 2021 with Cavalry FC, where he spent two seasons prior to his move abroad.
The club would like to thank David Norman Jr. for his commitment and contributions to Vancouver FC and congratulate him on a remarkable career.