A Winnipeg soccer legend is returning home for her next chapter. Desiree Scott, a former member of the Canadian women’s national team that won three Olympic medals, including gold in 2020, is taking the helm of FC Northwest, the club she used to play for as a youth.
“I’ve always wanted to come home. I haven’t been at home for 20 plus years, so Winnipeg is a city that’s near and dear to my heart,” said Scott.
“Early days, I’ve always represented Winnipeg and my province, and spoken about how proud I am to come from there, and now to be able to come back 20 years later after my career and be able to continue to have that impact and be able to give back, that’s always been a mantra of mine.”
Janine Sonis, a former teammate of Scott’s on the Canadian National Women’s Soccer Team, said, “Desi is Winnipeg through and through. It was never a doubt in my mind that she would end up back in Winnipeg when she was done with her career endeavors. So I know she’s very excited, I’m sure her family is very excited, and the whole city should be really glad that such an amazing person is coming back to represent the great city of Winnipeg.”
The Winnipeg native says she was looking for her next move after retiring from the game, so she reached out to her old club, FC Northwest, who were delighted to bring her on as director of technical development and initiatives. Now, she wants to use her new position to be a role model for young soccer players in the city.
“I think through my play on-field I hope I’ve inspired some people to get involved in the sport and stick with it, but I think when you have someone right in front of you day in and day out, eyes that you can see and have a conversation with, it just makes it more real,” said Scott.
Austin Benevides, FC Northwest’s club coordinator, added, “Obviously, Valour FC has shut down on the boys’ side, and then previous years, the U of W girls program shut down, so the pathway has kind of become more difficult, and I think with Desiree here, it kind of opens up the door for potential opportunities to continue to develop after their youth careers are over.”
Scott is now in the process of moving back to town from Ottawa, where she currently resides. She’ll start work with the club in February and says her goal is the same, it’s always been, create a winning culture on and off the field.
“Continuing to create more opportunities for players, developing more players from FC Northwest, increasing the registration and the club environment there, and just making it a high-level standard that people want to be involved with,” said Scott.