Canadian defender Shannon Woeller 1st player to sign with NSL's Vancouver Rise

Shannon Woeller grew up sitting in the stands at Swangard Stadium, cheering on her hometown Vancouver Whitecaps.

In a few short months, the Canadian defender will be the one playing on a local field, inspiring the next generation of soccer stars.

The Vancouver Rise announced Woeller as their first player signing in club history Monday.

Returning to Vancouver and playing in the newly created Northern Super League "means everything" to the 34-year-old athlete.

"It's so special. This is so special for me to come home, be with my friends and my family, and also have the opportunity to help grow Canadian women's football," she said.

Woeller is an intelligent, proven leader who'll set the tone for the squad, said Sinead King, Rise's president.

"It's her professionalism, her leadership, her athleticism, but also her homegrown talent," she said.

The Rise announced last month that Anja Heiner-Moller will be the team's head coach. Currently coach of Denmark's U-19 women's team, Heiner-Moller previously worked in Vancouver as an academy coach with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and North Shore Girls Soccer Club between 2018 to 2020 when her husband Kenneth Heiner-Moller was head coach of the Canadian women's team.

Woeller played for Kenneth Heiner-Moller during her time on the national squad. She made 21 appearances for Canada's women's national team, including at the 2019 Women's World Cup in France where the country was ousted by Sweden in the Round of 16.

She also played with Stephanie Labbé, a former Canadian goalkeeper who's now Rise's sporting director.

The duo started talking about the new club and Woeller was eager to jump at the chance.

"I couldn't get the idea out of my head once I thought that this was an opportunity," she said.