Birkey served as interim athletic director at Concordia in the mid-1990s and continued as a professor in the Exercise & Sport Science Department. He was hired in 1996 as the head coach for the Cascade Surge, a professional team in the USISL. Birkey directs the highly successful Concordia Soccer Camps attracting hundreds of young soccer players each summer. He also served six years as the conference chairman for men's soccer and was the regional chair for men's soccer from 2001–04 and 2006-08. In 2011 Birkey was appointed to the NAIA Men's Soccer Executive Board and administered on the 2013 and 2014 National Tournament Games Committee. In January 2014 he was appointed National President of the NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches Association but regretfully ended his leadership service to the NAIA as Concordia turned its focus to NCAA DII and the GNAC. Birkey was awarded a Meritorious Service Award from the NAIA national office in April 2015 and continues to be resource to the NAIA as a member of their Past Presidents group. In 2020, prior to their closure, Birkey was inducted into the Concordia University Athletic Hall of Fame recognizing his total of 401 CU career wins during his 32 years of service to the University(1988-2020).