Katie Collar has helped open doors for young Canadian women through her high-level coaching
Katie Collar’s journey to the big stage reflects a lifelong passion for soccer, leading her from player to coach and shaping the future of Canadian women’s soccer.
Collar’s story with soccer began in Calgary, where she started playing as a young child. She played on boys’ teams until she was 11, before transitioning into the girls’ soccer environment. Her natural talent and dedication led her to play for the Calgary Foothills, where she helped secure back-to-back Canadian National Championships in 2007 and 2008.
This success pushed her to the collegiate level, where she earned a scholarship to compete for four years at Eastern Kentucky University. While she competed at the provincial level in Alberta, she couldn’t make it to the Canadian Soccer Association’s youth national team programs. However, her story was far from over.
Through university, Collar faced one of the toughest challenges of her career—losing her love for the game. Confidence shaken and battling a season-ending injury going into her senior year, she even contemplated walking away from the sport. But a call from one of her former youth coaches changed everything.
Offered an assistant coaching position at St. Francis Xavier University, she rediscovered her passion—not as a player, but as a coach and leader.
“The care and confidence that he showed to me during that period helped to rediscover my love for the game and ultimately led me to discover a new passion for coaching,” Collar said.
That passion ignited a new path. She immersed herself in the coaching world, taking on roles as an Academy Director at Halifax County United Soccer Club and volunteering with the Nova Scotia Regional EXCEL (REX) program. Later in her career, she returned to Calgary, balancing multiple coaching positions, including assistant roles in both the Alberta REX program and at the University of Calgary.
Her first full-time role in the Canadian Soccer Association’s pathway came in 2021 when she became the head coach for the Vancouver Whitecaps REX centre in Calgary. Within months, she moved to Vancouver to lead the National Development Centre (Whitecaps Girls Elite Program), opening the door for her work with Canada Soccer’s U17 and senior women’s teams.
Now, Collar is making history as the first-team assistant coach for Vancouver Rise, preparing the club for its inaugural season in the Northern Super League (NSL).
“I play a key role in the technical programming, planning and delivery for the new professional club preparing for the inaugural season in the NSL,” she said. “I also play a role in opponent analysis, video review and academy connection and progression to the first team.”
Collar has seen firsthand how the landscape of women’s soccer in Canada has evolved. Where once there was no clear pathway for female players, there is now a visible professional structure and growing opportunities.
“Speaking to players who all dream of a professional career shows me that we have a clear pathway for young women in this country and have built the structure and celebrated the role models that they can imagine themselves in,” she said.
Collar also encourages young women in soccer to push boundaries and embrace challenges.
“Be brave and bold—just because something has always been done a certain way, doesn’t make that way right,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to push the standards and ask the hard questions, but also be humble enough to hear the hard answers.”
For Collar, her impact goes beyond the sidelines. She hopes her journey will inspire young Canadian women to believe in their ability to work in sports at the highest level.
“I want my work ethic, ambition and high standards to inspire the next generation of girls in this country,” she said. “I want to provide an environment in which girls can dream big, be bold and be brave—not only in soccer but in life.”
Her vision for the future of women’s soccer in Canada is ambitious and steady. She dreams of seeing Canada lead internationally, both in competition and infrastructure.
“My dream is that our country strives for excellence and sets the standards for women’s soccer from grassroots to the women’s game,” she said.
From watching Canada play in the 2002 U19 Women’s World Cup as a child to being the first team assistant coach at the Vancouver Rise, Collar’s journey has come full circle. But her impact on Canadian soccer continues to grow.
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