Treaty United Women’s Player’s Player of the Year and Best Playmaker 2024, Delana Friesen, spoke about accomplishments, her love of the sport, and women in soccer.
Delana Friesen is a 24-year-old striker and attacking midfielder from Western Canada. The Treaty United player has been living in Limerick for the past year and was recently awarded Treaty United Women’s Player’s Player of the Year and Best Playmaker 2024. Friesen holds much gratitude towards the club, expressing, “My first year in professional soccer with Treaty United has been an unforgettable experience that I will always be grateful for.”
Friesen has always had a love for the sport, saying, “I have been playing for almost as long as I’ve been alive.” She attended McNeese State University, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 school, in Louisiana.
During her four years playing soccer for the university, Friesen explained that she struggled with her confidence and identity when playing. She described her college experience as “A series of unfortunate events.”
The 24-year-old has gained confidence back in the sport since playing with Treaty United. “The group as a whole, including the executive team, volunteers, coaching staff, and my fellow players, is so special and I owe a lot of my joy and confidence to the experience they gave me”, said Friesen.
It was obvious how much the awards meant to her, with Friesen saying, “Winning this award from my team meant a lot more than I got the chance to express.” She spoke about what it felt like to win the Player’s Player of the Year award, saying, “The fact that my teammates and coaches chose me as their player of the year was really one of the first times I felt like I got to show my desire to work and help out my team, and it was valued.”
Another highlight of Friesen’s career was Treaty United’s win over Cork City in Turner’s Cross this past May. Being broadcast on TG4, ‘The Super Blues’ recorded a big win, “Earning one of our biggest league wins in program history with a 3-0 scoreline” said Friesen. With her parents in attendance, she explained, “It was an extra special evening for me, getting to assist the first goal and score the following two.” This memory is one Friesen described as being “Forever etched in my mind.”
The dynamic attacker also spoke about the need for a bigger spotlight on women’s soccer. “As somebody who had to leave my home in pursuit of professional soccer, I can share how many people are begging for these kinds of opportunities”, expressed Friesen. She continued by saying, “The more exposure we get on the women’s side of the game, the bigger it continues to grow.”
The Canadian native spoke about the encouragement needed to get more girls interested in the sport. She said, “I think it can be intimidating for young girls to look at the sport with any confidence or courage when all the opportunities for early exposure to the game are filled with young boys.” The midfielder suggested the Treaty United spring and summer camps as a great way to introduce young girls to the sport and to change the “intimidation factor that might surround the sport in the early ages.”
As for the future of her career, Friesen said, “I would love to take the game as far as I possibly can.” ‘The Shannonsider’s’ star has dreams of playing for the Canadian Women’s National Team and is hoping to achieve this goal in the future.