née Anita Brand... soccer family (father Joe Brand, sister Sue Brand, son Shaun Saiko, niece Jamie Vriens)... her mother Rina was born in Wassenaar, NED while her father Joe was born in Oldenzaal, NED... her family moved from Edmonton to Nelson and then Vernon; she was 18 years old when her family moved from Vernon back to Edmonton...

honoured in 2010 as part of Alberta Soccer’s Centennial Recognition of the Top Female Players... her sister Sue Brand is an honoured member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame...

was an original selection for Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team in 1986 (pre-tournament selection camp in Winnipeg)...

with Edmonton Angels SC, a five-time Canada Soccer National Championships winner (Jubilee Trophy in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988)...

said Sue Brand in 2021 of her sister Anita, “she could read the game so well. She had the distribution, she was very strong in the middle, and you could always count on her to be there”...

as noted in a 1983 program, “Anita plays centre midfield and is a great asset to the team when it comes time to take free kicks and penalty shots”... said Stuart Brown in 2021, “Anita Saiko, for me, was one of the top, if not the top midfielder in the league here in Alberta... she was a playmaker; she polished up her skills in controlling the midfield and building the attack from there with smart passes through the crowds or over top for the wingers to run on to”...

For Country

she was one of 23 footballers that participated in the first-ever Canadian women’s national camp in July 1986 in Winnipeg...