As Pacific FC prepares to celebrate its annual Women & Girls in Sport Match, the club is taking a look beyond the pitch to recognize the women who help make the club what it is.
From communications and marketing to player development, operations, athletic therapy and medicine, women play an important role across all areas of Pacific FC. Their paths into sport are different, but each has found a way to build a career around a shared passion for the game.
Ahead of Sunday’s Women & Girls in Sport Match, we asked the women across Pacific FC to reflect on their journeys, their experiences working in sport and the advice they give to the next generation.
Trisha Lees | Head of Public Relations and Communications
For Trisha Lees, working in sport has meant being there for almost the entire history of Pacific FC.
Lees joined the club in November 2018, the year Pacific was founded, and has had a front-row seat to the evolution of both the club and the Canadian Premier League over the past eight years.
As Head of Public Relations and Communications, Lees is responsible for shaping and protecting the club’s public image, building relationships with elected officials, media and key stakeholders, and overseeing the club’s media operations, from interviews to matchday conferences and accreditation.
Her career in sport has also extended beyond Pacific FC. She owns a public relations firm in downtown Victoria and has coached soccer for her youngest daughter.
One of her favourite parts of working in sport is the opportunity to tell stories that go beyond what happens on the field.
“I enjoy the challenge of telling stories that go beyond the sport, capturing the human element of our people, who our players and managers are off the pitch, and the spirit of what the club brings to the community,” Lees said.
Over her time with the club and league, she has also seen more women step into key roles across the country, including on both the business and football operations sides of the sport.
Her advice to girls considering a career in sport is simple.
“Be fearless.”
It is the same advice Lees gives her own two daughters, both athletes, and one she believes applies whether someone is pursuing a career on the pitch or behind the scenes.
Jodi Grant | Technical Lead - PFC Youth Females & Development Programs Lead
Jodi Grant’s career in sport has taken her from playing university football in the United States to coaching at the NCAA Division I level, and now, helping shape the next generation of players at Pacific FC.
Grant played at the University of Memphis before staying with the program as a coach for 14 years. She later coached at Cal State Bakersfield before returning to Canada in 2023.
Today, she works across Pacific FC’s youth programs, overseeing player development, mentoring coaches, integrating curriculum, and supporting players through areas including performance, nutrition and mental performance. She also leads the club’s female Talent ID Pathway.
For Grant, working in sport as a woman has been a continuous learning experience, particularly when it comes to bringing confidence and self-worth into every interaction.
She believes her experience and hard work have earned her a place in the environment, and that she can use that position to positively impact others through her passion for sport.
Her favourite part of the job is the relationships that come with being involved in the game.
“The relationships I develop in and around the game, as well as the lessons, camaraderie, and competition that comes with being involved in the game,” are what she values most.
And for girls beginning their own sporting journeys, Grant encourages them to enjoy the process.
“Have a growth mindset and don’t be afraid to fail or push through the hard days,” she said. “Enjoy the journey developing useful characteristics for life ahead, and make friends along the way.”
Dr. Cara Ewert | Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Cara Ewert’s career in sport has taken her around the world.
As Pacific FC’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) since the club’s inception, Ewert leads the club’s medical team with a focus on proactive care, injury and illness prevention, performance nutrition and regenerative medicine. She has also served as the Canadian Premier League’s medical lead for mental health over the past three years.
Her journey into elite sport began during medical school, where she learned from leaders in sports medicine before moving to Victoria and becoming involved with the National Rowing Team.
That work eventually took her to the Athens 2004 Olympics as a team doctor.
She later became Chief Medical Officer for the National Cycling Team and has worked with Canada’s Women’s Rugby Sevens team, travelling to World Championships and Olympic Games and supporting athletes throughout their careers.
Ewert also served as Chief Medical Officer for Bobsleigh and Luge at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, an experience she describes as both incredible and life changing.
Across all those experiences, one thing has remained constant, the people.
“My favourite part of working in sports is being a part of something bigger, a medical family working towards a common goal for athletes and the team,” Ewert said.
Her time with Pacific FC has offered that same sense of teamwork and purpose.
“Working with Pacific Football Club has been just that, working within an inspiring team environment and making an impact has been invaluable.”
Ewert acknowledges that earning respect as a medical woman in sport has come with its challenges, but her advice to women entering the industry is to remain curious.
“Stay curious, ask questions and believe in yourself.”
Marijke McDonald | Match Director and Manager of ITC
Marijke McDonald has spent nearly five years working in sport, learning along the way and taking opportunities to expand her experience.
As Pacific FC’s Match Director and Manager of ITC, McDonald works in the operational side of the club and says she has been fortunate to learn from strong leaders throughout her time in the industry.
“I have had the opportunity to be mentored by strong leaders and I am very grateful,” she said.
Her experience as a woman in sport has been a positive one. McDonald says she feels respected and supported at the club, while also appreciating the opportunities to learn and try new things.
For her, one of the best parts of working in sports is simple, it’s the people.
“Meeting new people and spending our days together,” is what she enjoys most.
And her advice to girls considering a career in sport is just as straightforward, “if you will enjoy it, go for it.”
AnnaClaire Hallam | Manager of Football Operations
AnnaClaire Hallam never set out with the plan of building a career in professional sport.
Growing up in a football-focused family, she played the game and eventually moved into coaching, which led to an opportunity with Pacific FC. Before that, she had originally gone to school thinking law was the direction she would pursue.
“Sports as a career just kind of grew from one opportunity to another,” Hallam said.
Today, as Manager of Football Operations, Hallam manages the day-to-day operations and logistics for Pacific FC’s first team, helping ensure everything behind the scenes runs smoothly.
Her experience has also given her a different perspective on representation in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Hallam says she has been fortunate to have incredible women around her at Pacific FC, while also drawing inspiration from strong female role models in her own life, including her mother, who moved to another country for work and had to adapt to a new culture and language while proving herself in a new environment.
Watching that experience growing up taught Hallam about confidence, resilience and the importance of being willing to put yourself in spaces where you may have to work harder to be seen.
“I hope representation keeps growing, and that eventually seeing women working in professional sports doesn’t feel surprising or noteworthy,” she said. “It’s just normal.”
For Hallam, working in sport is rewarding because of the feeling of being part of something bigger than an individual role. Growing up on Vancouver Island, being able to contribute to a professional club in her own community makes that experience even more meaningful.
Her advice to girls entering the industry is to trust themselves, take opportunities and stay true to who they are.
“Don’t feel like you have to change who you are to fit into the industry,” Hallam said. “You belong in the room, and the more women we see in these spaces, the easier it becomes for the next generation to see themselves there too.”
Abby Pratt | Athletic Therapist
For Abby Pratt, a career in sport grew directly out of her own experience as an athlete.
Pratt grew up playing soccer in Victoria and always knew she wanted to work in sport. It was her own injuries, however, that introduced her to the importance of rehabilitation and ultimately led her toward a career as an Athletic Therapist.
At Pacific, Pratt works with the first team as one of the club’s Athletic Therapists, helping players manage injuries and conditions through treatment and exercise rehabilitation.
Working with a men’s professional team has challenged Pratt to continually push herself and prove what she can bring to the environment.
“My experience working as a woman in sport has been hard fought,” she said. “It takes perseverance and believing in yourself.”
Pratt, the camaraderie of sport is one of the biggest draws. She loves being part of an environment where people look out for one another and work together toward a common goal.
Her message to girls who want to pursue a career in sports is to keep pushing.
“Never stop dreaming and never stop pushing to reach the highest level you can,” Pratt said. “The world of sports is a unique place and it needs more women willing to break barriers.”
Marissa Arau | Youth Operations Coordinator
For Marissa Arau, soccer has been part of her life since she was 11 years old.
Her journey eventually took her to a university scholarship in Mexico, where she had the opportunity to support athletes through nutrition and off-field preparation. While she always loved being on the field, she discovered that she also enjoyed the work that made everything around the game possible.
Today, as Pacific FC’s Youth Operations Coordinator, Arau works behind the scenes to support players, families and coaches through scheduling, communications, travel, events and the many moving parts of a youth program.
She has also had the opportunity to step onto the field as an assistant coach with Pacific FC’s U14 Girls team, giving her a chance to contribute to player development from both sides of the game.
For Arau, one of the most important lessons from her career has been that there is no single way to work in sport.
“You don’t have to fit a certain idea of what someone working in sports ‘should’ look like,” she said. “There is space for different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.”
That representation matters, particularly for young girls.
“When young girls see women working in different roles within their club, it helps them understand that there are opportunities for them beyond being an athlete,” Arau said. “It shows them that even after their playing career ends, they can continue to be involved in the sport they love.”
Her favourite part of working in sports is the people and the impact the environment can have on them. She enjoys watching players grow not only as athletes, but as people, while learning from the coaches, players, colleagues and volunteers around her.
And when it comes to advice for girls considering a career in sport, Arau encourages them to be open to where the journey might take them.
“Don’t feel like you need to have everything figured out before you start,” she said. “There are so many different career paths in sport, sometimes you discover what you love simply by saying yes to a new opportunity.”
What Sport Can Look like
Putting this story together made me think about my own path into sport, too.
I grew up playing football, and for a long time, that was how I understood my place in the game. Now, I get to be part of it in a completely different way, through marketing, storytelling, community and everything that happens around the pitch.
Listening to the women at Pacific FC talk about their own journeys is a reminder of just how different a career in sport can look. There are so many ways to contribute, and so many ways to find something that feels like yours.
For me, that’s one of the most exciting parts of working in sport. The game I grew up loving is still the same game, but my place in it has changed completely.
And maybe that’s part of our Women & Girls in Sport match, to show young girls not just what sport can be, but what a life in sport can look like.