Shannon Woeller grew up sitting in the stands at Swangard Stadium, cheering on her hometown Vancouver Whitecaps.

In a few short months, the Canadian defender will be the one playing on a local field, inspiring the next generation of soccer stars.

The Vancouver Rise announced Woeller as their first player signing in club history Monday.

Returning to Vancouver and playing in the newly created Northern Super League B次元官网网址渕eans everythingB次元官网网址� to the 34-year-old athlete.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 so special. This is so special for me to come home, be with my friends and my family, and also have the opportunity to help grow Canadian womenB次元官网网址檚 football,B次元官网网址� she said.

Woeller is an intelligent, proven leader whoB次元官网网址檒l set the tone for the squad, said Sinead King, RiseB次元官网网址檚 president.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 her professionalism, her leadership, her athleticism, but also her homegrown talent,B次元官网网址� she said.

The Rise announced last month that Anja Heiner-Moller will be the teamB次元官网网址檚 head coach. Currently coach of DenmarkB次元官网网址檚 U-19 womenB次元官网网址檚 team, Heiner-Moller previously worked in Vancouver as an academy coach with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and North Shore Girls Soccer Club between 2018 to 2020 when her husband Kenneth Heiner-Moller was head coach of the Canadian womenB次元官网网址檚 team.

Woeller played for Kenneth Heiner-Moller during her time on the national squad. She made 21 appearances for CanadaB次元官网网址檚 womenB次元官网网址檚 national team, including at the 2019 WomenB次元官网网址檚 World Cup in France where the country was ousted by Sweden in the round of 16.

She also played with Stephanie Labbe, a former Canadian goalkeeper whoB次元官网网址檚 now RiseB次元官网网址檚 sporting director.

The duo started talking about the new club and Woeller was eager to jump at the chance.

B次元官网网址淚 couldnB次元官网网址檛 get the idea out of my head once I thought that this was an opportunity,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淥bviously, thereB次元官网网址檚 a big history of football in Vancouver, and the way the organization is being built, everyoneB次元官网网址檚 really impressed me. So it was a pretty easy decision for me.B次元官网网址�

Woeller began her professional career in 2008, playing for the semi-pro Vancouver Whitecaps in the USL W-League, then went on to play for the Seattle Sounders in the same league. When the league folded in 2012, Woeller took her talents overseas, suiting up for clubs in Norway, Iceland, Germany, Spain and Sweden.

Each stop provided another set of lessons.

B次元官网网址淚 think whatB次元官网网址檚 really cool about having all those different opportunities is every league you go to, you can learn something different from. So I think thatB次元官网网址檚 been really helpful for me,B次元官网网址� Woeller said.

B次元官网网址淲hen I was in Germany, they were just really good tactically. In Spain, technically, obviously, they could play out of, like, a two inch square. And then SwedenB次元官网网址檚 pretty physical, but also a good combination of tactical as well. So I think just sort of putting all those experiences together is good, because you can help people in different ways.B次元官网网址�

Pursuing a soccer career abroad can be difficult, though. Players miss their families and can have trouble adapting to a whole new language and culture.

B次元官网网址淧laying overseas is an incredible opportunity, but itB次元官网网址檚 also not easy,B次元官网网址� Woeller said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 hard to be so far from home for so long. And I think when youB次元官网网址檙e over there too, you see girls, theyB次元官网网址檝e got families, theyB次元官网网址檝e got lives, and itB次元官网网址檚 hard not to be a little bit jealous of that.B次元官网网址�

The newly created Northern Super League B次元官网网址� set to kickoff its inaugural season in April B次元官网网址� gives Canadian players choices, she added.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a really long time coming. And I think there was a lot of years where I didnB次元官网网址檛 think that this was ever going to happen.B次元官网网址�

Now the veteran defender is looking forward to providing girls an opportunity she didnB次元官网网址檛 have growing up B次元官网网址� a chance to watch professional womenB次元官网网址檚 soccer in Vancouver on a regular basis.

B次元官网网址淚 would have absolutely loved it. I would have begged my parents to go every day,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 mean, I grew up going to the Whitecaps games at Swangard at the time when I was a kid, I loved that. And so now that girls can go see female games all the time, I think itB次元官网网址檚 going to be huge.B次元官网网址�