This Saturday marks Vancouver Rise FC’s first official “Soccer for Cancer” match in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.

On the pitch, fans and players will join forces to raise funds and awareness in the fight against cancer. 

But behind the match lies a larger story, one of two local athletes who took a university initiative and helped scale it into a nationwide movement, proving that their impact reaches far beyond the game.

This is how Kirstin Tynan and Christie Gray made their mark beyond the pitch.

Kick for the Cure

Before there was “Soccer for Cancer,” there was “Kick for the Cure.”

This particular Kick for the Cure initiative was launched in 2019 by Gray, a former Calgary Wild FC player, and her teammates during her third year at Queen’s University in Ontario.

“We wanted to use our platforms as student-athletes to support people affected by cancer in our community,” said Gray. “What started as one team event grew into something really special, and over the years we’ve built a culture within our program around giving back.”

For Gray, the cause was personal.

“Cancer is unfortunately something that affects a lot of people, pretty much everyone to some degree,” she admitted. “For myself, my grandma's a cancer survivor... and during my second professional contract in Ireland, both my host parents were cancer survivors as well.”

“Throughout different stages of my life, I've experienced it touching me in different ways, and I was always motivated to use the platform that we have for good.”

Building on Success

What started as a campus event quickly gained momentum. In its inaugural year, “Kick for the Cure” raised $5,000. By 2020, that number doubled to $10,000. By the time Gray graduated in 2021, the program had raised nearly $30,000 for cancer research.

“We thought to ourselves, ‘If we're able to do this, how big could our impact be if everybody did this?’” Gray recalled.

Knowing that university initiatives often fade when founders graduate, Gray made it her mission to embed the program into the team's DNA.

“As new generations come into the program, you run the risk of losing legacies,” said Gray. “I think we’re super fortunate because the girls have done the exact opposite. They’ve really taken it and driven it to a new level. It makes me really proud.”

Among that next generation was goalkeeper Kirstin Tynan.

Passing the Torch

Three years junior to Gray, Tynan had actually heard about “Kick for the Cure” when she committed to Queen’s in 2019. The initiative reflected a major reason why she chose the school.

“I came into a team environment where this was already an established value,” Tynan explained.

Like Gray, Tynan carried her own personal reasons for driving the initiative forward.

“I've had a handful of family members impacted by cancer, as well as my best friend's dad who has been fighting brain cancer. It's extremely personal to me.”

Making it Last

After Gray and her cohort graduated, Tynan and the successive Queen’s leadership group helped carry the initiative forward, with Tynan building systems and resources that allowed future generations of players to continue growing it.

“I put together documents that included all the resources, contacts at the Canadian Cancer Society, and varying messages that we could pass down as generations evolved,” Tynan explained.

For Tynan, the effort was never about personal accolades.

“This was never about me as an individual,” she maintained. “This was about the impact that our team could have collectively. What was most important was knowing that when I left Queen's, it was going to be in good hands.”

By the time Tynan concluded her collegiate career, “Kick for the Cure” had raised over $75,000. Today, it reached its lifetime goal of raising over $100,000.

Scaling to New Heights

The story didn't end at graduation. Following the conclusion of the inaugural NSL season in 2025, Gray received a message from Doug Kane, Director of Independent Fundraising and Sports Alliance at the Canadian Cancer Society.

“He found me somehow on Facebook,” said Gray. “We had limited contact, I guess, through e-mail. He hunted me down and sent me a message and asked if I was free for a call.”

Kane was organizing “Soccer for Cancer”, a new, nationwide campaign that unified and amplified the established fundraising traditions from across Canadian soccer under one national umbrella. 

Given her work in university, Kane wanted Gray on board. She stepped in as Strategic Advisor and Founding Ambassador, reaching out to universities across Canada in her spare time and helping bring over 50 programs into the fold. Among them were Queen’s Kick for the Cure, UVic’s Vikes Kick Cancer and several other U SPORTS soccer cancer awareness initiatives.

But Gray wanted the initiative to reach the highest level of the game. She needed professional clubs involved.

That’s when she called Tynan.                                                                                

Enter Vancouver

As Gray began reaching out to professional clubs to expand Soccer for Cancer, she connected with Vancouver Rise FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. 

As a Rise player and former Queen’s teammate who had helped carry Kick for the Cure forward, Gray and Kane naturally brought Tynan into the Rise FC conversation.

“I wanted to try and bring a Kick for the Cure initiative to Vancouver last year,” Tynan recalled. “So when Doug and Christie came to me, I saw it as an incredible opportunity to help bring Vancouver Rise FC into the initiative as a leading team in the NSL.”

Tynan and Gray pitched the idea to both Rise FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Both clubs quickly signed on, launching campaign pages and dedicating September matches to the cause.

“Those meetings were really powerful,” Tynan admitted. “It displayed the club's investment in supporting their players, but also supporting their community.”

Visiting the Lodge

Ahead of the match, Tynan visited the Canadian Cancer Society Vancouver Lodge alongside teammates Mariah Lee and Ariel Young. The facility provides a home away from home for out-of-town cancer patients receiving treatment in the city.

“My experience visiting the lodge was extremely powerful,” Tynan reflected. “It was a direct example of how fundraising dollars support those going through treatment and help build a community.”

Former Rise FC forward Mariah Lee, who retired to study law at NYU this summer, recalls also being struck by the sense of community there. Lee’s father is a cancer survivor, so she understands how important that support for patients is. 

“My dad was fortunate to live close to the hospital,” she stated. “The Lodge helps fill those gaps for people who don’t have that same support system.

The visit left a lasting mark on the squad.

“Our team was able to learn a lot from seeing how these people lean on each other,” Tynan said. “It translates to how we lean on each other as teammates on the field, through good times and bad.”

Leading the Way

With Saturday's match around the corner, years of grassroots work are culminating on the professional stage. And even though she will be wearing a different team's jersey on Saturday, Tynan’s enthusiasm hasn’t wavered. 

“I’m so excited,” Tynan said. “This is something we’ve been working towards for a while now, so I’m glad it’s almost here.”

Though Gray is currently playing overseas, she echoes the broader vision of what they have managed to build together.

“The power of community is pretty special. The goal is for this to be a unifying experience that brings people together across the country, sharing the game we love.”

On Saturday, fans will gather not just to cheer on their team in an important match, but to stand behind a cause that transcends any rivalry.

Because when it comes to cancer – we’re all on the same team.

On Saturday, $1 from every ticket sold will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society to support pediatric cancer research.