Bridget Mutipula off to Vancouver to join Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy 

HALIFAX, NS – Bridget Mutipula, a 14-year-old soccer player from Nova Scotia, is moving to British Columbia to join Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy in the fall. 

Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy is a full-time, fully funded player development program. It is an official Canada Soccer National Development Centre (NDC), one of 3 NDCs in Canada. 

The program invites top female soccer prospects from across the country to attend school, train, and play together, leading to professional, college and national team opportunities. 

Mutipula was invited to attend a trial week in Vancouver in the spring after impressing at an NDC event last year. She also impressed at the Whitecaps FC National Combine in April, leading to the invite to join the program full-time in the fall of this year. 

‘In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to move because it’s a really big change in my life and thinking about having to move away from family and friends was really hard for me,’ said Mutipula. ‘But when I went to visit Vancouver, I really enjoyed playing with my new teammates and friends. I’m now looking forward to this big opportunity I’ve received.’ 

Mutipula moved to Nova Scotia with her family from Zambia when she was 4. She is a Halifax Dunbrack Soccer Club member, where she led the U15AAA Girls to a provincial title and club nationals last year. She is currently playing with the club’s U17AAA and Senior Women’s teams despite still being eligible to play U15. 

‘Having represented the club at every level, we are extremely excited to support Bridget on the next step in her journey with the Vancouver Whitecaps,’ said Halifax Dunbrack SC president Jonathan Hammond, who also coaches Mutipula at the club level. ‘Everyone at the club wishes Bridget the best of luck and will be cheering on from Halifax. She is one of our own.’ 

Mutipula is also part of the Nova Scotia REX program, where she trains and plays with the top female players in the province to prepare for national competitions and events. 

‘We are incredibly proud of Bridget for earning this opportunity and taking the next step on her soccer journey,’ said Soccer Nova Scotia Director of Performance Matt Holton. ‘We are excited to watch Bridget develop from afar and hope this new challenge can help her reach her full potential.’ 

Whitecaps FC operates a coast-to-coast network of Academy Centres to develop and identify young talent and provides a gateway to professional soccer, scholarships, and the Canadian national teams, including a pathway to Vancouver with the Boys MLS Academy and the Girls Elite Academy. 

‘We are very excited to have Bridget joining us here in Vancouver,’ said Emma Humphries, WFC Director of Women’s Football Development and head coach of the Canadian U17 National Team. ‘We have been tracking her progress over the past year through the Nova Scotia REX centre, where she has been excelling in many aspects of her game. She shows a lot of potential and we are looking forward to working with her and helping her grow through this next phase.’ 

Mutipula hopes the move to Vancouver will help her achieve her goals in soccer and beyond. ‘My goal for my soccer career is to get a scholarship to an NCAA D1 university doing what I love and follow the national team pathway and hopefully play for the women’s national team one day.’ 

Mutipula will initially spend some time in Vancouver this summer playing with the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy in League1 BC before relocating and joining the program full-time in the fall. 

For further information on the Whitecaps FC BMO Academy System, visit whitecapsfc.com/academy, and for information on the Girls Elite program, visit https://www.whitecapsfc.com/academy/girlselite/program 

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