16-year-old P.E.I. soccer phenom Joelle Bader chasing her dreams at Vancouver Whitecaps' academy
CBC
Joelle Bader hopes to play some day for Canada's national senior women's soccer team. Playing professionally is also a dream for the 16-year-old Charlottetown native.
If it happens — fantastic. If it doesn't, she's making sure it won't be due to a lack of effort.
"The one goal I'd like to achieve would be not regretting anything, knowing I worked as hard as I could to become the best I could possibly be."
Bader is on the right track. Last fall, she was the only Islander selected to join the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy, an official Canada Soccer National Development Centre.
The program hosts the top women's prospects from across Canada to attend school, train and play together in Burnaby, B.C.
Home for the Christmas holidays, Bader said she feels grateful for the opportunity to play at a high level.
"The stadium — I've been inside B.C. Place — I've gotten to train on the facility," she said.
"It's been mind-blowing, just seeing what is the possibilities for the girls sport and the growing game. It's been just incredible."
Bader's success is no surprise to Janos Barna, who was coaching P.E.I.'s U-15 team when he first noticed the young phenom.
"You could tell she was a special player from the first time I saw her play," he said.
"I think she might have been 12. And I was watching her play just at the indoor complex and I was just, like, wow. And I used to joke. I said she could actually be playing for our team now and that would be the under-15 team at the time."
It turned out to be no joke. The following year Bader was playing on the U-15 team. And as she grew and became stronger, her game elevated even further, Barna said.
"She had skills that I had never seen in anyone that young. Some of the things she could do to manipulate the ball, manipulate other players, it was certainly special."
But he said Bader's success is a result of not just her natural talent, but also her dedication. He remembers times when she would ask to take the team balls home with her after practice.
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Joelle Bader hopes to play some day for Canada's national senior women's soccer team. Playing professionally is also a dream for the 16-year-old Charlottetown native.
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