CONCACAF Women's Olympic qualifying tournament here in Vancouver

We are a big FOOTBALL family! Real football!

Our eldest decided when she was 4 years old that she wanted to play soccer and even though we missed out on it that year she started her 1st season the year she turned 6. Ever since, it's been nothing but soccer in our house. Dad played when he was in school but nothing really serious.

Our daughter started off loving Canadian women's soccer and only women's soccer. I used to laugh as Dad wished she would enjoy men’s soccer even just a little bit.

We took her to her 1st Concacaf game in Ottawa where she got to meet her favourite player Kara Lang along with a number of other women's players. From that moment on she wanted #15 to be her number on her teams, just like Kara Lang. She continued to love women's soccer. So much so Dad would let her stay up or even wake her to watch games played in other countries around the world. Then we moved here to BC where she could see her women's national team players on a regular basis as they train here year round in Vancouver. It was pretty amazing at 9 years old she could tell you everything there was to know about women's soccer and the players involved including the best players from other countries.

Not sure if the novelty wore off getting a chance to see our country's top women's players on a regular basis as she did. So much so many of the players knew her by name or would recognize that flaming red hair of hers. But sometime in high school she discovered men's soccer...(I know you're probably thinking it was when she discovered the opposite sex...LOL) Yes, she does admire the good looking male players out there, but she truly is not only a fan of the game but also a high level player herself.  She developed a love for FC Barcelona and lost interest in women's soccer altogether. She can still appreciate the game but if given the choice she would choose watching her Barcelona team over our Canadian women anyday.

Dad on the other hand became a huge fan of our Canadian women's team and has followed them with our daughter over the years and even continued to follow them when she stopped. She was given the honour of being a flag bearer with some of her team mates for a few of the games in the CONCACAF tournament being held here over the last week. She has watched the games with her Dad more for the love of the game and because her Dad asked her to. :) This weekend the 2 of them will go to the finals, but still Dad is more excited than she is. :( They will go together and she will have fun watching the game because she knows it so well and because she's with her Dad.

Perhaps if she has a daughter one day she will return to love the women's game!

Tonight as I write we watch and cheer on our Canadian Women's National Team as they compete in the semi-final game vs. Mexico. Go CANADA GO!!!