This weekend, when Sarah Keilty-Dilling takes to the pitch as one of the Calgary Wild FC’s goalkeepers during the first home game ever for the team, it’ll be with some of her former students on her side.

Keilty-Dilling, before signing on as one of the team’s keepers, worked as a Physical Education teacher at Ian Bazalgette School in Forest Lawn.

During her time there, along with Principal Steven Pike, an effort was put into sports to build up student confidence and give them pride both on the pitch and inside the classroom.

Tearing up, Keilty-Dilling said that the students were just so special and have so much love to give, but don’t always get that in return.

“Sport can do so much, and confidence is a huge part of that. Even belonging, giving them that sense of belonging and community within the school. They make new friends, they build new connections, and it’s huge from the educational perspective as well, because when you’re on a sports team, you’re held to a higher standard,” she said.

“If you can maintain that standard, it doesn’t just mean maintaining it on the field or on the court, but in the classroom as well. So being a part of a school team has a ripple effect.”

For their first game, the Wild FC donated tickets for all of the soccer team players, along with family members, so that they could enjoy the Mother’s Day match in a special section of McMahon Stadium that the team is calling Keepers Corner, which is close to the goal on the pitch.

“The kids at the school and the kids in this area are historically underprivileged and undervalued, and I see so much potential and value in these kids, and they made a real impact on me while I was working here,” Keilty-Dilling said.

“So it’s really special to me to be able to give this back to them, where we’re giving 20 tickets for each game for the students from Ian Bazalgette to come to our home games and sit in Keepers Corner.”

The students also got the first look at the team’s new mascot, Echo the Owl, on May 9. Keilty-Dilling, along with other members of the Wild FC team, announced to the students would be getting tickets to the game, which led to big smiles and big cheers.

Giving students an opportunity to see live sports

Pike said that while some of the students who attend the school come not wanting, there are also those, especially from immigrant families new to Calgary, who need assistance.

Some of whom, LWC learned, had never been to a place like Chinook Mall. During the presentation of the tickets, Keilty-Dilling asked how many of the students had been to or knew where McMahon Stadium was, and about half didn’t put up their hands.

Pike said that was one of the things that he had observed as principal.

“You do have new immigrants to Canada, and so oftentimes, while they get an understanding of the new surroundings, they will remain in the community,” he said.

“We also connect with many other agencies, and have nights where we bring in families to help them understand the things that are available to them in Canada.”

He said the sporting program also played a big part in helping those students have a place to be after school.

“What I’ve known over the years is that sport has a way of uniting community, and in this case, I understood from talking with parents and with students, and with staff that this became a hub for the rest of the community. And so putting all that effort into that has given students an opportunity to be at the school rather than the streets,” Pike said.

“This has given them a focus and a sense of pride in school.”

Building that sense of pride was what the Wild FC was all about, said CEO Lara Murphy.

“There’s no question our team is built around community for community and in the community, and that’s exactly how we’ll continue to operate. Calgary as the third most diverse city in Calgary, in all of Canada, and just really look at a way that we can engage what we want to create is a sense of belonging, and that sense of belonging starts in each and every one of our communities,” she said.

She said that the hope was that as the team built, that a corporate sponsor would be found for Keepers’ Corner so that they would be able to provide many more free tickets for school children.

“You saw the excitement in their faces, the cheering that went on, and it’s just an absolute honour and privilege to be able to be part of it, and the more community partners we bring forward, the more lives we can impact and the difference we can make in this city.”

The Wild FC take on Ottawa Rapid FC on May 11 at 5 p.m. at McMahon Stadium. Tickets are available at www.calgarywildfc.com/games/calgary-ottawa-2025-05-11.