Newtown Quakers to Hear from Ukrainian Hall of Fame Soccer Player, Coach and Poet

Newtown Quakers to Hear from Ukrainian Hall of Fame Soccer Player, Coach and Poet

Len Bilous, former professional soccer player and coach, poet, artist and entrepreneur, will present his spiritual journey entitled “Thriving by Seeing” at 9:45 am on Sunday, March 22, at the historic Newtown Friends Meetinghouse(http://www.newtownfriendsmeeting.org) at 219 Court Street. Meeting for Worship in the manner of Friends with expectant waiting in silence begins at 11:00 a.m.

Highlights of Len’s talk will include: 1) Early Hardships, 2) Discovering Survival Mechanisms, 3) Envisioning, and 4) Developing a Play Attitude. He will also read some of his poems related to his life experiences.

Len Bilous was the 1979–80 Major Indoor Soccer League Coach of the Year while taking the Pittsburgh Spirit on a 13-game winning streak and into the Playoffs after the team had won just 5 and lost 10 the year before.

Born in a refugee camp in Germany of Ukrainian and Belarus parents, his family moved to Venezuela for 9 years before moving to the US and settling in Philadelphia.

Bilous attended Temple University, where he played on the men's soccer team from 1967 to 1969.^[1] After graduating from Temple, Len played for the Delaware Wings in the American Soccer League and in 1971,the Philadelphia Spartans.^[2]

Bilous got his coaching start with the Princeton University Men's Freshman team in 1973 and the following year was hired to coach the NCAA Division I Quinnipiac University men’s soccer team.^[3]

In 1978, Len was named the head coach of the newly established Cincinnati Kids of the Major IndoorSoccer League, then became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Spirit, and later coached the Philadelphia Fever.

After his MISL coaching career, Bilous co-founded Vision Training Soccer, a new training methodology that empowers players to make the best decisions and improves their ability to scan the field. For his innovative coaching contributions, Len was inducted into the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

Len’s other interests include art, writing poetry, and meditation. He is currently exhibiting 2 photographic art pieces at the Trenton City Museum titled “Trenton Nursing Home Jazz” and “The Peace of Sound”. He will be exhibiting another art print at the Phillips Mill Photographic Exhibition next month titled “Milk House, Stars and Snow”

Historic Newtown Friends Meeting, co-founded in 1815 by Quaker minister and artist, Edward Hicks, is open to the public with Sunday School classes for children and adults at 9:45 a.m. and meeting for worship at 11:00 a.m.