Kyra Barton is a passionate coach and youth soccer developer, having recently coached two teams at Pickering FC. Her work at the grassroots level reflects a […]
Kyra Barton is a passionate coach and youth soccer developer, having recently coached two teams at Pickering FC. Her work at the grassroots level reflects a deep commitment to helping young players, especially girls, feel seen, supported, and excited about the game. Barton’s coaching journey is rooted in both personal experience and a steadfast belief in the power of sport to build confidence, community, and lifelong connection.
Barton’s earliest soccer memories include being one of very few Black girls on her teams, a reality that shaped how she saw herself within the sport.
Growing up in a predominantly white community, she says those early years influenced her desire “to feel a sense of belonging within the sport” and later motivated her drive to create that sense of belonging for others.
She began volunteering at summer camps when she was just 15 years old. Coaching young children and watching them fall in love with the game rekindled her own connection to soccer at a time when her playing future felt uncertain.
“What drew me to coaching was the energy, joy, and excitement of the kids. Coaching gave me a new sense of purpose and brought new life into the game for me.” – Kyra Barton
Those early experiences laid the groundwork for a coaching philosophy centered on empowerment, positivity, and presence.
Throughout her playing career and early coaching years, Barton rarely saw women of colour in leadership positions. That absence shaped her understanding of the importance of representation, not just for players, but for fellow coaches and the broader soccer community.
“When I first began coaching, I saw more men of colour in coaching roles, but very few women.” – Kyra Barton
Connecting with mentors, including Chelsea Spencer, helped Barton grow personally and professionally. But it also reinforced a broader truth: being visible matters.
“For little Black girls, seeing someone who looks like them thriving and in charge in a space they love can spark confidence and self-belief.” – Kyra Barton
That visibility goes beyond identity alone. Barton stresses that representation helps all players develop empathy, understanding, and respect for different perspectives; qualities that enrich team culture and player development at every level.
For Barton, leadership on and off the field is about much more than tactics or results. It’s about creating safe spaces where players feel free to be themselves, make mistakes, and grow. Her recently earned CONCACAF Children’s Diploma reinforced a principle she carries into every session: “Kids need to be kids”, and that begins with grassroots soccer.
She believes the grassroots phase of the game is the most important part of the development pathway, the foundation where confidence, creativity, and a love for soccer are first formed.
“If you think of the Canadian soccer ecosystem as a pyramid, the base is the most important part. Grassroots soccer is that foundation. Without it, the rest cannot stand.” – Kyra Barton
Barton’s approach prioritizes values that extend well beyond the scoreboard: teamwork, curiosity, resilience, and joy. She aims to foster an environment where players feel supported, encouraged to try new things, and equipped to carry those lessons into every part of their lives.
Despite her expertise and passion, Barton has also encountered barriers throughout her coaching career. She has experienced situations where her authority is assumed to belong to male assistants, referees communicate through male staff, or parents question her role despite her qualifications and results. These repeated experiences have underscored the realities that many Black women in coaching still face.
“It’s not just about coaching soccer. It’s about making sure every player feels valued and included” – Kyra Barton
Rather than deterring her, these challenges continue to fuel her commitment to changing the culture of the sport from the grassroots up, so that future generations don’t have to fight the same battles just to belong.
Barton sees her story as part of a larger narrative in Canadian sport. A story that needs to be told so that patterns of exclusion and inequity become visible, acknowledged, and addressed.
“Our stories humanize the barriers, bias, and resilience that statistics alone can’t capture” – Kyra Barton
She believes that honest storytelling, especially about belonging, identity, and representation, plays a vital role in helping young players stay engaged in the sport and feel confident in their place within it.
“I’ve had young Black girls tell me they want to be just like me when they grow up. If my story can help create a path that feels easier, safer, and more welcoming for them, then I’ve done my job” – Kyra Barton
Through her work at Pickering FC and beyond, Kyra Barton continues to create that path, helping players fall in love with soccer, grow into themselves, and know that they belong every time they step onto the field.
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