Soccer star honoured with re-naming of field in Pickering
Published June 14, 2024 at 9:32 am
Kinsmen Turf Field in Pickering will be getting a new name Tuesday to honour the Pickering Football Club’s most famous alumnu.
The soccer pitch will be re-named ‘Jayde Riviere Field’ to celebrate the legacy of the Canada and Manchester United right back, with the ceremony on June 18 at 11:45 a.m.
Riviere, who will be headed to Paris next month for the 2024 Olympics, played club soccer for Pickering until she was 13 before moving to Markham and eventually Vancouver, where she joined the Whitecaps youth organization.
She played college soccer at the University of Michigan before signing on with the fabled Manchester United club in 2023. Riviere, now 23, represented Canada at youth levels before earning her first senior cap in 2017 at just 16 years old.
The Pickering Football Club said in a statement the re-naming of the soccer field is a testament to Riviere’s accomplishments, which can only be achieved through “true dedication, passion and love for the game.”
“Jayde exemplifies all of these qualities in her game and has become an inspiration for the girls and boys, women and men of Pickering Football and beyond.”
Riviere playing as a youth for Pickering
Riviere, who still stops by to talk to the next generation of soccer stars, has now earned 45 caps for Canada, including five games in the pandemic-delayed Olympic tournament in Tokyo in 2021 where Canada won the gold medal.
“I cannot believe that my childhood pitch will be named after myself,” Riviere said on social media. “Extremely honored.”
Pickering High Performance Manager Barry Donnelly had the privilege of coaching Riviere for seven years and called her a “terrific player and person” who, even as a young player, “showed the drive that led her to where she is today.”
Long-time Pickering coach Peter Hogg congratulated Riviere on her “well-deserved” honour. “You are an inspiration and a role model for young women around the world, especially here in your home town of Pickering.”
Riviere with Christine Sinclair and Desiree Scott after winning gold in Tokyo
Riviere started both games in the Olympic ‘Send-off Series’ against Mexico earlier this month, with Canada earning a 2-0 win in Montreal and battling for a 1-1 draw at BMO Field.
The women’s national team opens their defence of their Olympic championship July 25 vs New Zealand before matches against host France (July 25) and Colombia (July 31).
