Episode 45: Jessica and Katie of For Kicks

Meet Jessica Cooreman and Katie Woodfine, the hardcore footy fans behind For Kicks, a podcast that follows the Canadian national women's team on the road to Rio, as well as women's soccer in general. I hope some day to love something as much as Katie and Jessica love soccer. Their passion for the game is infectious and so fun to listen to. And I was thrilled to hear in our conversation that even though the podcast was born to follow the team's progress towards the Olympics this August, they plan to keep their podcast going afterwards. The podcast comes out once a month, which means there's a lot to pack into every episode. They also have a very active For Kicks Tumblr, which provides quite a window into a community of fans and players that doesn't get much mainstream media attention. We talk about how Edmonton is a place that gets excited about women's soccer, thanks to the U-19 tournament where Christine Sinclair made her mark, the success of the Women's World Cup games that were played here, and homegrown talent such as Erin McLeod. Jessica and Katie made a ton of soccer-related recommendations: Alberta: Loyal Company of the River Valley The Young Gaffers Canada: Canada Soccer Experiment (@footyexperiment)  North America and International: The Mixxed Zone from Howler Women’s World Football Show 2 Drunk Fans Off The Post The Equalizer NWSL Team Podcasts: Houston Dash/Dynamo: Keeper Notes blog and Houston Soccer Podcast Washington Spirit: Follow Your Spirit Orlando Pride: Queen’s Cast Portland Thorns: Riveting! Chicago Red Stars: 5th Star You can — and should! — find For Kicks on Twitter (@forkickspodcast) and on Facebook. The podcast is on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud. This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Taproot Edmonton, a new member-supported home for local journalism created with the community and not just for it. You’ll hear me talk to Mack Male about the project in this show. If you’d like to help Mack and me create a new way to sustain how-and-why journalism in our city, join Taproot today. Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.