Canada’s Indigenous Women’s Soccer Team Captain Visits Atlético Ottawa

September 30, 2022 – Canadian Premier League (CPL) – Atletico Ottawa News Release

This week Atlético Ottawa had the pleasure of hosting the captain of Canada’s Indigenous women’s soccer team to discuss the second National Truth and Reconciliation Day as well as soccer within the local region’s First Nations communities.

Victoria Marchand is a mother to a young boy, studied nursing and a Canadian Gold Medal winner from the 2017 World Indigenous Games – a global competition that brings together over 2,000 Indigenous athletes from around the world to participate in a wide array of sporting events.

Born in Gatineau, Victoria started playing soccer at the age of four, before eventually becoming one of the select few players outside of Western Canada to be picked to play for the National Indigenous Football Association (NIFA) in 2015. Her bow at the World Indigenous Games, however, would have to wait another three years as she completed her studies at uOttawa whilst putting in stand-out performances on the field for the GeeGees.

Like many great success stories in the world of sport, her pathway to captaining the Canadian side in Alberta and bringing home a gold medal was anything but straightforward, as she explained to Atlético Ottawa’s captain Drew Beckie.

“When we’re trying to develop a sport in Indigenous communities a lot of the barriers are: cost, infrastructure, coaching, lack of leadership and lack of role models,” Victoria said. “They [soccer players in community] don’t have anyone to look up to and I remember I didn’t have anyone to look up to either.”

Victoria recalls carrying two key rings growing up: a soccer ball and an American flag.

“Don’t quote me,” she jokes after revealing her cherished token from Canada’s neighbours. “It’s because the only soccer player I knew was Mia Hamm because of television and exposure. If we can get more exposure we can inspire young Indigenous children of all genders to be able to play any sport.”

Ottawa captain, Beckie, spent over an hour showing Victoria around the training facilities at TD Place as they discussed the region’s history, opportunities in sport and pathways to their respective heights in the game in a “special conversation”.

“It’s something that opened my eyes to the needs of a community that isn’t funded at all,” said the 31-year-old. “Listening to their struggles and how we can be better here, to provide opportunities to the indigenous community that is so needed and deserved.

“Equality is what we…