SASKATOON – A Saskatchewan girl has grown up to be a soccer star. Kaylyn Kyle, 26, is representing her country at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup which is currently underway.
On Tuesday, Kyle said she is living her dream on Team Canada.
“When I was nine-years-old, I went to my mom’s work and she asked me what I wanted to do when I was older and gave me a post-it note,” said Kyle. “I signed my name and wrote No. 6 and then in brackets I put Team Canada and I put it back in her desk.”
“I guess she had kept it all of these years and laminated it for me and she gave it to me before the Olympics and I thought I had lost it but she had found it.”
READ MORE: Saskatoon’s Kaylyn Kyle named to 2nd FIFA Women’s World Cup roster
Her mother recently rediscovered the post-it note at home in Saskatoon and sent her a picture of it 17 years later for the World Cup.
Team Canada played in the tournament’s opening game on the weekend against China in front of 53,058 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, winning 1-0.
READ MORE: Canada edges China on late Sinclair penalty in Women’s World Cup opener
“Our first game was amazing with all the fans it was a pretty cool moment,” said Kyle.
“Any time you can play in a World Cup is an honour but to have it at home in Canada is pretty special, to have all of your friends and family out there in the crowd.”
Kyle also represented Canada at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany but says nothing compares to competing on home soil.
“Definitely been a little bit different being at home with all the friends and family and having the home crowd routing for you so it’s been really nice having that kind of home field advantage and that ‘X-Factor’,” said Kyle.
Canada’s second game in Edmonton Thursday is against New Zealand followed by a match with Netherlands June 15 in Montreal.
“We’ve been preparing like for any other game, we’ve been preparing for the last two years for these games and we’ve known who we would be playing for a couple months now,” said Kyle.
Kyle says she is very proud to represent her home.
“It’s amazing, I was born and raised in Saskatoon … it’s kind of rare for a soccer player to come out of Saskatchewan so I feel pretty lucky and I’m just really proud to be basically representing not only Canada but the province of Saskatchewan,” said Kyle.
World Cup games are being played in Moncton, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa and Winnipeg. However, Kyle would have liked to have played one in Saskatchewan.
“I think that would be a pretty cool moment for me so maybe one day in the future we’ll have a home game there and that would be pretty remarkable and very cool I know the stadium would probably be packed and loud and crazy and I can only hope for that,” said Kyle.
Meanwhile, she is receiving a lot of support from her fans.
“People from back home, more family and friends, have sent me words of encouragement and letters and emails and text messages so that’s been something that’s been really cool to me,” said Kyle.
“Obviously all of my friends and family that drove down for the first match that’s something I hold dear to my heart and I have to thank them for that.”
Her father, Doug Kyle, is a former Saskatoon Blade who also played professionally in the International Hockey League.
“Having a father that’s played in the sports world, you can really benefit from it,” said Kyle.
“He just supported me through and through and same with my mother and my sister.”
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According to Soccer Canada, the Saskatoon product was six when she started playing as goalkeeper for the Silverwood Rangers.
Kyle went on to graduate from the University of Saskatchewan and is currently a midfielder with the Thorns FC in Portland, Ore. of the National Women’s Soccer League along with Team Canada captain Christine Sinclair.
“I’ve been pretty lucky but also I have to thank a lot of the organizations that I’ve played for growing up and coaches,” said Kyle.
“I worked really extremely hard and then I just got scouted at a young age by the Vancouver Whitecaps and they brought me over to play there and then I got scouted by the national team at a young age and went through the development program.”
Now, she hopes to add to her collection of hardware which includes a bronze medal from the 2012 Summer Olympics at the World Cup final in Vancouver July 5.
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