Matt Holton, an alumnus of the Acadia Axemen soccer program, returned as an assistant coach in 2023. He made his debut on the bench on Saturday when the Axemen picked up a 4-1 victory over the Mount Allison Mounties.

He came to Acadia on a one-year exchange program from Loughborough University in England for the 2007-08 academic year and ended up staying. Holton played 2007-2010 with the Axemen, being named captain of the squad for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. He graduated with a BA Arts with an English major in 2010.

Since that time, he has built an extensive coaching resume, currently holding the director of performance and pathways role with Soccer Nova Scotia, which he started in 2018. Over that time he was the 2021 Canada Games men’s soccer head coach; focused on supporting clubs in relation to players aged U13 and older; and oversees the male Excel program where he incorporates nutritional, strength and conditioning, and mental skills components into a high-performance environment.

Prior to this, he was the grassroots development officer with Soccer Nova Scotia from 2017-18. This position allowed him to work with clubs and regions throughout the province to identify strengths and weaknesses of programs and strategize how to increase quality and consistency. He also designed matrix and evaluation tools for clubs to self-assess the quality of the programs in relation to long-term player development.

Earlier coaching experience after graduating from Acadia included being the head coach of the women’s soccer team at Mount Saint Vincent University from 2013-16 alongside holding the role of technical director for Halifax City Soccer Club from 2014-17.