Nanaimo-raised Jazmine Wilkinson is a hot commodity in the women’s soccer world right now. Freshly graduated from university, Jazmine just signed with Northern Super League team Ottawa Rapids FC. Her dream of playing professional soccer has become a reality. Next week, she heads east to establish a new home in Ottawa.
I got the chance to chat with Jazmine at her home field in Nanaimo. The Merle Logan Turf Fields brought back many sweet memories. “So many good times! Blow-out wins with VIPL [Vancouver Island Premier League] Storm were the best! We would win every single game 7-0.” She recalled having fun with her childhood friends, “playing for the pure joy of it. Not worrying about anything else and just scoring a bunch of goals. A hat-trick every game! It was the best.”
When asked what excites her most about her future with Ottawa Rapids FC, she answered simply, “Just playing in Canada - it’s special to be part of the inaugural year and history-making in women’s sport.”
The signing process was simple and quick, Jazmine said. It only took a few Zoom calls with Ottawa’s sporting director and head coach for her to make her decision. “I was really happy with the coach and what the team had to offer to the league and Ottawa. I liked how they want to help grow women’s soccer in Canada.”
Jazmine went through Nanaimo and the Island’s entire soccer pathway. She started playing in the youth recreational league as a kid for Harbour City FC, Nanaimo United’s former club name. As she got older, she moved up the local tiers. Jazmine played REP, then for the tier 2 VIPL team, Storm. In grade 10, she moved on to play for the tier 1 BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL) team Vancouver Island Wave. Jazmine only played BCSPL for one year before being scouted and invited to join the Whitecaps Girls Elite REX Academy in Vancouver. In her one year with Wave, Jazmine’s team won the league. “The provincial finals were my last game with the team before moving to Vancouver to play for REX the following September,” she recalled fondly. It was the end of her Vancouver Island-based era.
Immediately after moving to Vancouver to start school and training with REX, Jazmine was called up to play for the U17 Canadian World Cup team in October of her grade 11 year. The team placed fourth overall. She spent the rest of her high school years at REX. “I think REX was definitely my biggest goal. As a young player, I had always wanted to play for the Whitecaps. I was really proud of that. That move was a key moment in my career.”
Rhian Wilkinson, the U20 Team Canada and girls Whitecaps elite program coach in 2018 made a big impression on Jazmine. During a training session, Rhian told Jazmine and her teammates that “if you want to take it to the next level, it’s important not to cheat yourself.” Jazmine said she thinks about this often. “I always take it into account, whether it’s fitness drills or solo training. It’s ultimately going to make you a better player. Do everything right.”
She started her university years playing for Arizona State and studying Agricultural Communications and Journalism. At the end of her third season;
“I wanted to enter the portal. All the NCAA coaches get access to the portal and see the players that enter. They will reach out to you if they’re interested, or if you want to go to a certain school, you can reach out, too. I wanted a change. Position-wise, I was playing as a holding mid for Arizona, but I wanted to play striker. My friend Mia, who I played with at REX, reached out and asked if I wanted to play for Texas A&M. She was on the team at the time. I said yes! I spent 2 years with them.”
The transition from Arizona to Texas meant a lot to Jazmine. “I felt a rebirth as a player as I tried to get used to my new position… I came out of my shell more when I got there.”
During her off season last year, Jazmine came back to Nanaimo and played for Harbourside FC, which is Nanaimo United’s semi-pro team. She got to play with all her old teammates from her recreational, VIPL, and BCSPL days, and work with Bobbie Taylor - a coach she’s played for multiple times throughout her youth career.
As we finished our chat and started to get ready to goof around on the pitch with her ball (which she just happened to have in her car) and my camera, she noted:
“When you’re younger, make sure you’re having fun with it and playing for the joy of the game. Because it does get harder when you reach college level, and you forget that it’s for the fun of it, that it’s just a game.”
Nanaimo can’t wait to see what the Northern Super League has in store for you, Jazmine!
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