8 May 2026
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Palani, Gevaux named BCPL Coaches of the Month for April
The managers for Langley United and Vancouver Rise Academy have led their teams to perfect starts so far.
The British Columbia Premier League has announced the Coach of the Month awards for April in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
On the men’s side, Langley United manager Azad Palani has earned the nod, while Sam Gevaux of Vancouver Rise Academy got the honour for the women’s competition.
Palani has been the architect of a phenomenal start to the campaign for Langley, who have an unblemished 5-0-0 record so far, including four wins in April. During the first month of the season, they defeated Nanaimo United, Kamloops United, TSS Rovers FC and Unity FC, outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 16-0.
Langley still have not conceded a goal in 2026 yet.
Palani has been working with the Langley organization for more than a decade, and has taken over as head coach of the men’s first team to excellent results so far. He will lead the club into its first ever Canadian Championship match on Sunday, when they take on Canadian Premier League side Vancouver FC in an all-Langley derby.
Gevaux’s Rise Academy side has also had a perfect start to the 2026 season, winning all three of their games in April plus one to begin May. They defeated Kamloops, Nanaimo and Burnaby last month, outscoring them 6-1 overall.
He has been leading the Rise youth team since the beginning of last season, after spending several years in Ontario working with OPL club North Toronto as well as a stint with the Vancouver Whitecaps academy program.
After the Rise came second in the BCPL table a year ago, Gevaux is hoping they can challenge for the title in 2026.
