Although she barely knew how to walk and run, Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot resident Rosalie Girouard was able to blossom and take her place on a soccer field. But Rosalie's passion for soccer doesn't stop there.

“Soccer is a great way to stay active and have fun, whatever your level. Soccer has personally enabled me to develop a number of skills, establish my values and make friends,” confided Rosalie, who now plays at semi-professional and university level with the Concordia University Stingers, as well as being responsible for recreational soccer with FC3 Lacs.

Now 21, the young woman has made it her mission to promote women's soccer and its players through Club FC3 Lacs.

“In recent years, women's soccer registrations have gone down at FC Trois-Lacs and probably at other clubs across Quebec. I think it's a shame, especially as men's soccer is often put first, and I don't think it should be,” she tells Néomédia.

Faced with this situation, Rosalie has set up a number of initiatives to restore women's soccer to its rightful place, but above all to enable young female players to develop while showing them that sporting careers are within their grasp.

One of the ways the athlete intends to achieve her goal is by organizing an all-women's soccer camp. 

“For the 2024 season, we offered FC3 Lacs a women's soccer camp to enable our players to develop in an environment conducive to fun and competition. The response has been pretty good, and we certainly hope to repeat the experience next year,” she adds.

A 100% women's cup

In addition to the camp, Rosalie Girouard hopes to organize a three-on-three women's soccer cup, and make it a must-attend event in the region. The first edition was held last year in 2023.

“The aim of the Coupe de soccer féminin is to bring together as many players as possible, from different age categories and levels (U9 to U16), to enjoy a great day of competition and fun, while promoting women's soccer. We obviously want to help young girls discover the game, but we also want to inspire them and, who knows, inspire them to join our teams,” continues Rosalie.

For logistical reasons, we won't be able to hold the event this year, but we're sure we'll get around to it! 

To find out more about Club de soccer FC3, visit fctroislacs.com.