The update says Simmonds spent decades in coaching and had been part of the Lambton Lions women’s programme for more than 20 years. He was also reportedly coaching the Sarnia U17 Spirit girls team this season, underlining the breadth of his commitment.
That matters. In local football, influence is rarely limited to one squad or one age group. The people who leave the deepest mark are usually the ones who keep showing up, season after season, for players at every stage of the pathway.
Reports suggest Simmonds was valued not only for sessions and matchdays, but for the wider work around the sport.
That profile is familiar in grassroots football. The best community coaches often become mentors, organisers and problem-solvers all at once. The report says Simmonds also helped mentor young coaches, worked as a referee and played a role in building an indoor programme - the sort of service that strengthens a club long after one season ends.
What stands out most is the consistency of the praise. When colleges, clubs, former officials and parents all tell a similar story, it usually means the influence was real and lasting.
The next chapter for football in Sarnia will be about carrying that work on - in the women’s game, in youth development and in the volunteer culture that Kevin Simmonds appears to have embodied for so long.