Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) athlete Addy Fearnley of Gibsons recently returned from Rennes, France where she captained the women’s soccer team in this year’s Military World Championship from May 25 to June 5.

“I was truly honoured to represent Canada, the CAF, and be selected as the captain of the CISM Women’s Soccer Team,” Fearnley said. “A role I take seriously both on and off the pitch.”

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Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) – or International Military Sports Council – is a multidisciplinary non-profit organization, founded in 1948 to promote world peace by uniting the armed forces of 134 countries through sport.

The CISM program takes female athletes from all walks of military professions and unifies them towards the common goal of soccer.

Eight countries were represented in the competition: France, South Korea, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Cameroon and Canada. This was the first appearance at an international competition for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Women’s CISM Soccer Program since 2012.

“It was an incredible feeling and amazing opportunity representing Canada and the CAF in an international [soccer] competition,” Fearn-ley said. “I have aspired to play internationally with the CISM program since 2010, so this was a huge achievement for me.”

The highlight of the tournament for Fearnley was their final game against the U.S. The Canadians were down 2-0 at half time but they rallied to score two quick goals within the first 10 minutes of the second half and tied the game. Team USA came back strong and put in a goal about midway through the half, but Canada rallied again to tie it up 3-3 in regulation time.

The match went into two 15-minute halves of overtime, but they lost a pivotal player to an injury in the first overtime half.

“We had already used all our three substitutions, so we had to play down for the remaining 25 minutes,” Fearnley said. “Devastatingly, USA scored in the final three minutes of overtime to win the game, but you can’t say we didn’t put up a hell of a fight.”

Fearnley said she has been playing soccer for as long as she can remember. Her parents registered her in Sunshine Coast Youth Soccer when she was about six.

“I fell in love with the game almost instantaneously and never looked back. Over the years, soccer has taught me self-discipline, teamwork, commitment, and leadership,” Fearnley said. “It has taught me the important lessons on how to work through hardship and obstacles as a team and as an individual, relying on collective strength as well as individual determination.

“Many of the skills that I have utilized as an officer in the CAF are directly related to the skills I developed through soccer, team sports and being an athlete. It is so important to continue to promote sports in local communities such as the Sunshine Coast and create opportunities and goals for young athletes to strive for.

“For everything I have put in, soccer has given me back more than I could have ever imagined,” Fearnley said. “I have a fierce love for this game and will continue to play it for as long as I can, always looking for chances to learn and develop as both a player and a person.”