Emma Fletcher finally got the call she has been waiting for.
The 19-year-old Victoria native will be in Canada’s lineup for the upcoming FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, which will be played Aug. 5-24 in Toronto, Montreal, Moncton and Edmonton.
Having represented New Zealand at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan in 2012 — thanks to a dual citizenship as her dad Stefan was born in Napier, N.Z. — Fletcher now gets to pull on the Maple Leaf in international soccer play.
“I’m really excited. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I was five years old [when she started in the Gordon Head program]. It’s going to be a really cool experience,” added Fletcher, who is entering her second year at Louisiana State University where she’s an attacking midfielder.
“It’s crazy that it’s in Canada, too. It’s a shame that there are no games in B.C., but to play in my home country and with the crowds being so much bigger … I’m trying to take things a day at a time and not look into the future,” said Fletcher, who attended Mount Douglas in Grade 10 before moving to White Rock for her last two high school years.
“It might get me over-psyched looking that far ahead, so I’m taking it one step at a time. I’m really excited. A little nervous, but more excited,” she added in a phone interview from Mexico where the Canadian side will play two friendlies in preparation.
The team will also face England in an exhibition game prior to the World Cup start.
Canada is in Group A with Ghana, Finland and North Korea and will open against Ghana on Aug. 5 before matchups against Finland and North Korea on Aug. 8 and 12, respectively. The first two games will be played in Toronto and the third in Montreal.
The top two teams in each of the four groups advance to the second stage and if Canada finishes second, it would then play in Edmonton.
“My parents [mom Peggy is a native of Duncan] will be coming to Toronto and Montreal and they will watch the New Zealand team as well,” said Fletcher.
“I think if we make it out of the group stages, my brothers will clutch up and come. One of them really hates soccer, though,” Fletcher said with a chuckle of sibling Harrison who attends Reynolds along with brother Sam, who is in the soccer program at the secondary school.
“We have a really strong team, in my opinion,” said Fletcher. “So I think it’s very attainable that we can get out of our group, which is always the first, but not ultimate goal.”
If Canada manages to get through, the team — led by coach Andrew Olivieri and national senior team coach John Herdman serving as a high performance director — will face Germany or the U.S., both tough competition.
“We have a lot of depth and a lot of strong players so I think it is possible to be playing in the last day of the tournament, even if it’s a third-vs.-fourth game or the final, which would be awesome. Our goal is to play in the last day of the tournament,” said Fletcher, who lived in New Zealand at age 9.
She was invited to a Canadian U-15 camp, which was her first taste of national competition.
“When I was younger I was pretty small,” she said. “At the international level it might have impeded me a little. At 17 I did get invited [to Canada’s camp], but I was already at New Zealand camp. It was a great experience playing there and re-connecting with a bunch of those girls.”
But now she has her true colours on.
