Calgary’s first professional women’s soccer team has signed a pair of homegrown teenage stars, with Keelyn and Taegan Stewart joining the team on Jan. 27.
The pair, who most recently competed for the Welsh U-20 team, are also the youngest players signed to the brand new Northern Super League, at just 17 years old.
The Stewart twins said that they were nervous, but excited about joining the team instead of having to travel back to Europe to continue their professional careers.
“We’re over the moon, managing to be able to play here in Canada,” said Taegan Stewart.
Keelyn Stewart said that she had been playing with her sister since the age of three, and that they had both always dreamed of ending up playing professionally together.
“We’ve travelled all over the place from a very young age. In 2018, we went over to Barcelona, three times in 18 months. We trained with their La Masia Academy. We trained there with their boys, and then we did a Club World Cup,” she said.
“Then most recently, we’ve gone over to Freiburg the last three years… to train with a U-17 and U-20 team as well.”
What they bring to the pitch, they said, was a bit of twintuition.
“Our teammates don’t usually like it. That’s why we’re split in training,” laughed Keelyn Stewart.
“But I think that it’s something where we’ve just built the relationship and connection with each other over the last 14 years, and it’s just very easy to play with each other, since we do play very similarly.”
They said their style is aggressive, and they’d much rather drive the ball than sit back and defend.
Women represented on and off the pitch through Wild FC, and Stewart Twins
Having both on the team was special as it allowed them to play their professional careers in their hometown, said Alix Bruch, Sporting Director for Calgary Wild FC.
“These two athletes exemplify the strength and depth of Alberta’s soccer pipeline and are proof to young female players in the province the pathway to pro can start and end at home,” she said.
Taegan Stewart said one of the main reasons for choosing to sign with Wild FC was the hiring of Lydia Bedford, who previously coached in the English Premier League.
“I think she’s the main reason why we stayed, actually. We met with her, and we were really impressed on what she wants to bring here to Calgary. I know it’s going to be great, and I think it’s gonna be great for us because she has a lot of youth experience,” she said.
Lara Murphy, CEO of the Calgary Wild, said that the signing of the Stewart twins spoke volumes about the ability of young women to forge a path to professional soccer in Calgary.
“I don’t know a ton of sporting teams, or maybe organizations, that can have 17-year-olds signing contracts, and then 34-year-olds and what that represents,” Murphy said.
“The span of experience, pros that have played all over the world coming to call Calgary their home for this inaugural season, it just speaks volumes to what we’re doing and how we’re trying to provide that opportunity for the Canadian women to come not only home, but to build forward and be able to play at home and maybe not have to leave.”
She said that the excitement building over the roster as each player has been announced has been great, and that it has given Calgarians a chance to see the club come together ahead of their first games this spring.
