Amidst a hectic schedule of Vancouver FC daily training, three VFC home games, additional coaching commitments, and everyday-life tasks, Amelia Ng and Nicole Scott somehow managed to find time to be a part of the 2024 BC Summer Games. Not only did they get a team together in less than two weeks, but the VFC medical team members walked away from the Games with some hardware.

It all started with a last-minute call out from BC Soccer to find a coach who’d be willing and able to take a Zone 5 – Vancouver Coastal girls team to victory at the BC Games. With ample coaching experience that spans over a decade on her side, Ng, Vancouver’s Head Athletic Therapist, “finally said yes because otherwise there would’ve been no coach for the team.

“[I wanted] to provide the girls with this unique experience,” continued Ng.

And just like that, Ng embarked on the enormous task of building together a competitive team of U15 girls who would get the opportunity to represent their region at a BC Games. The only catch: Ng had less than two weeks to do it.

Now the former North Shore Girls Soccer Club (NSGSC) Director of High Performance wasn’t entering her first rodeo, as Ng previously coached in the 2022 BC Summer Games where her team won the Gold. Additionally, Ng was not going to fly solo for this mission and enlisted the help of fellow VFC medical team member, Nicole Scott, through the most basic way possible: she just asked.

“[Nicole] is my intern at Vancouver FC and I knew she coached in Delta so I asked if she wanted to be involved with the Summer games,” said Ng.

The dynamic duo set to work constructing the Zone 5 squad through three open evaluations, and once the team was selected, had a mere two practices and two exhibition matches to get game-ready for the fierce competition in Maple Ridge. Vancouver Coastal was slotted into Pool B which faced Zone 2 – Thompson-Okanagan, Zone 3 – Fraser Valley, and Zone 7 – North West. 

The competition started on Thursday, July 18, just two days before VFC’s Beach Party match against York United FC, where only the top team in both Pool A and Pool B would advance to the gold medal match. After the conclusion of the last day of pool play, Zone 5, “…didn’t make the gold medal game due to goal differential, but we were happy overall with how we competed,” remembered Ng.

With optimism in their hearts, Ng and Scott booked it from the BC Summer Games in Maple Ridge to Willoughby Park for Vancouver’s match on Saturday, July 20. The pair did not miss a beat and were on the field, ready for action, all by the time warm ups started. When asked how they were able to manage the hectic weekend, Ng responded, “[We] just had to make it work. Nicole and I covered each other and it worked out. Parents also helped when we asked for assistance so it was a big team effort.”

Vancouver would come away with a 1-1 draw in the scorching heat but the work was not done for Ng and Scott, who returned to Maple Ridge on Sunday for the Bronze medal match. They faced Zone 4 – Fraser River first thing in the morning at 8 a.m. and a battle ensued with Zone 5 reigning victorious. 

“I think the moment the last whistle blew, the players were extremely happy with the result and that was probably the best moment they could ask for at that point,” recalled Ng. When asked what the moment meant to Ng, she replied, “[It] was just a lot of fun.

“[I’m] glad that we were able to get a group together and make something of it in such short notice and with such a short time frame.”

The willingness of Ng and Scott to take on this challenge in the short time frame, in the middle of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) season, in the busiest home stretch for Vancouver FC this year is something that cannot be understated. It is through dedication and action like Ng and Scott’s that young girls are able to experience these special opportunities and create life-long memories that could take them in infinite possibilities.

Vancouver FC is proud to celebrate all women and girls in sports and to provide a platform that highlights the incredible work being achieved in our communities. Join the Eagles in this celebration of Women and Girls in Sport on Sunday, August 18th when VFC hosts Forge FC for the final Pink Party of the season. Tickets to VFC’s second annual Women in Sport match can be purchased online here.