Foothills WFC striker Joelle Gosselin continues the club’s tradition of players from both genders advancing to the next level in professional soccer as she departs for the Finnish first division.

She joins Jyväskylän Pallokerho immediately to help them secure a playoff spot late in their season.

Gosselin, who scored 11 goals in her Foothills UWS career, said she is disappointed to leave before the national championship final here at home and is going to miss the Foothills family.

“This has been three years for me and it’s now a family for me.”

She was supposed to play in South Korea initially, but due to Visa issues, it couldn’t be arranged. Then her agent told her about the club in Finland who expressed interest.

“It’s such a good opportunity, they are division one, it’s a great league too,” she said. “The (transfer) window was so short that I didn’t have the choice about when to leave.”

“It’s everything I wanted since I was a little kid. To get pro experience, play soccer and just concentrate on that. It will be crazy, I don’t realize it right now because it was such short notice. I worked hard for it and I hope it goes great.”

Her coach Troye Flannery said they can’t replace someone like Joelle.

“She’s got a unique skill set. She strikes the ball as well as anyone I’ve coached, she scores goals, and she’s a great teammate.”

“Joelle is an incredible person and we are all better for having her in the environment.  She is one of the (2017) originals here. She came to me upset that she would miss this weekend, but part of this program is to be a platform and showcase these women and get them next level opportunities and she is going to play professional soccer at the highest level in Finland. I’m proud that she has taken that next step.”

Gosselin finished five seasons at the University of Laval for the Rouge-Et-Or and was selected and scored for Team Canada at the 2017 FISU Summer Universaide in Taipei, Taiwan.

Joelle said what she will miss most is how everyone in Calgary was so welcoming to her.

“I came here from Quebec, talking French, and they were all great. Troye showed me so much. He showed me another side of soccer that I didn’t know. I am going to miss the competition we had in practice and games and the challenge we had every time we went on the field.”

ABOUT FOOTHILLS WFC

Foothills WFC has been operating in Calgary and competing in the United Women’s Soccer National league, competing in the Western Conference since 2017. Last season, Foothills captured the Western regular season title and travelled to Michigan for the 2018 nationals where they lost to the eventual champions, the Houston Aces in the semifinal. Foothills WFC’s mandate is to be a bridge for the future stars of the game to develop and succeed in Canada, while providing our fans with a premier sporting experience.

Foothills FC would like to thank all its sponsors including our jersey and game day sponsors: Telus, PetroTranz, Rogers Insurance, Secure Energy, Field Safe Solutions and Strikers Soccer.

ABOUT UWS

The league was formed late in 2015 under the belief that there was a gap in the development of the female soccer player between the collegiate game and the professional & international game.

A dedicated Tier 2 league was needed. UWS will fill that gap with a summer competitive season that will help the collegiate player evolve & enhance their game for fall competition while giving the post-collegiate player a chance to further develop for the professional & international ranks.