Calgary Wild FC ends inaugural campaign appreciative but with growth in mind
Posted Oct 20, 2025 12:08 pm.
Last Updated Oct 20, 2025 12:14 pm.
As the Northern Super League releases its playoff dates, Calgary Wild FC is on the outside looking in.
The group finished fifth out of six teams with nine wins, 14 losses, and a pair of draws.
And while it’s a tough pill to swallow, head coach Lydia Bedford is taking it in stride and using it as motivation as she turns her attention to 2026.
“With the injuries we’ve had, we’ve been on the bad end of a few results that have probably tipped it against us, but when we’ve had our best players fit and available, and they’ve performed on the pitch, we’ve outclassed teams left, right and centre,” she shared.
“It would be nice to be in the playoffs. But it’s about being in the best position we can, just not being in playoffs probably gives us more prep time than everybody else to be ready for next season.”
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Injuries had a significant impact on the Wild’s goal of a successful campaign. The first player announced by the team, Farkhunda Muhtaj, was unable to participate at all due to a tendon injury. Despite this, she remained actively involved with the team and the community, although she never got to play in a match.
Australian forward Kahli Johnson, who was limited to 694 minutes, is using the year as a stepping stone.
“It’s my first season overseas,” the 21-year-old offered. “I really just wanted to come over here and just have an experience, really. I just wanted to get through it. Obviously, it was a very rocky season for me with being injured and dealing with that, but I do think at the end of the day, they’re all important lessons.
“And if you want a career in professional football, they’re really important lessons that you need to learn from. So I think for me, it was just kind of making those mistakes and going through those down periods to be able to come out of them better and stronger and just learn more about myself and how I respond to them and just take that with me into next year.”
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Coach Bedford says being on the ground level of a fledgling league meant she had to think fast and be adaptable to what was happening around her.
“In a season where you play 25 games against the same teams five times with the turnaround that we’ve had and the amount of travel, it’s probably been about letting games be forgotten quickly and moving on to the next,” she explained.
“I think the other thing for me is having good people around you, having an unbelievable staff that has literally worked behind the scenes endlessly, like, as a staff group, we’re pretty small and we’re pretty feisty, and I think you surround yourself with good people as a coach. Your job’s a lot easier.”
