Football Canada’s Director of High-Performance Katie Miyazaki to be Honoured with Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award at 2025 Sport BC Awards
Ottawa, ON – Football Canada is proud to congratulate our colleague Katie Miyazaki for being named the recipient of the Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award at Sport BC’s 2025 Athlete of the Year Awards, set to take place on March 6th, 2025.
The Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award recognizes emerging leaders making a lasting impact in gender equity within sport, physical activity, and recreation in British Columbia. With a career spanning basketball, football, and para-sport, Miyazaki has pioneered opportunities for women, para-athletes, and underrepresented communities, ensuring fair access to elite competition and leadership roles.
Currently serving as Football Canada’s Director of High Performance, Miyazaki is leading Canada’s preparations for flag football’s Olympic debut in 2028, working to create a world-class development pathway for athletes and coaches alike.
A multi-sport standout, Miyazaki has left her mark as both an athlete and coach. She was a two-time CIS Defensive Player of the Year (2009–10, 2010–11) in basketball, a CIS Second Team All-Canadian (2011–12), and a key contributor to two national championship-winning teams at Simon Fraser University. Her success extended to football, where she was a star defensive back for the Saskatoon Valkyries, helping them capture back-to-back Western Women’s Canadian Football League (WWCFL) championships in 2011 and 2012. She later represented Canada’s national flag football team in 2020.
Beyond her playing career, Miyazaki has built an extraordinary résumé in coaching and athlete development. She was an Assistant Coach for Canada’s Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, served as Saskatchewan’s High-Performance Wheelchair Basketball Coach (2013–2019), and led teams at two Canada Games (2015, 2019).
Miyazaki worked at PacificSport Fraser Valley as their Physical Literacy and Community Sport Programs Manager, where she helped organize and run grassroots programs for girls, newcomers, and other equity-deserving groups. She also collaborated with schools to increase physical literacy, ensuring more young people had access to quality sport programming.
An advocate for gender equity and representation in sport, Miyazaki has worked tirelessly to create more opportunities for women in football. Through mentorship programs, coaching pathways, and grassroots initiatives, she is helping shape the future of the sport, ensuring women and girls have access to the same high-performance resources and opportunities as their male counterparts.
Miyazaki’s impact also extends to diversity in sport, where she has been a leading voice for Asian representation in football. As part of the CFL’s Diversity Is Strength Conversations Series, she spoke about the importance of visibility, mentorship, and breaking barriers for the next generation of athletes and coaches.
The Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award, presented annually, includes a $2,000 grant to support gender equity initiatives or educational advancement within registered Canadian charities, amateur athletic associations, or educational institutions.
“Katie’s leadership in high-performance sport, gender equity, and athlete development has transformed opportunities for countless athletes and provided valuable resources for our staff,” said Kevin McDonald, Executive Director of Football Canada. “Katie leads by example, and her work is crucial to shaping the future of women’s football in Canada. This award is a well-earned recognition of her ongoing impact.”
The Athlete of the Year Awards, hosted annually by Sport BC, is one of British Columbia’s most distinguished celebrations of sporting excellence, honouring athletes, coaches, and sport leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the province’s sporting landscape.
Football Canada extends its congratulations and invites the rest of the football community to celebrate our colleague Katie on this well-earned honour. We look forward to celebrating her achievements at the awards ceremony in March.
Media Contact
Braydon Stachel
Marketing and Communications Manager
Football Canada
BStachel@FootballCanada.com
