From Scratch to Champions: Templeton Girls Build Soccer Empire Without Jerseys
For years, the senior girls soccer team at Templeton Secondary School in east Vancouver produced results that matched those of a top-tier program. However, they lacked the appearance of one, particularly when it came to proper uniforms and equipment.
A Team Built From the Ground Up
The remarkable journey began when Grade 8 girls took the initiative to recruit classmates and establish the team from scratch. Through dedication and skill development, this grassroots effort transformed into one of the school's most outstanding sports programs. The Titans steadily climbed the Vancouver Secondary Schools Athletic Association rankings, culminating in an undefeated 2025 season that earned Templeton its first soccer finals appearance in nearly four decades.
The Jersey Dilemma
Despite their impressive performance on the field, the team faced a fundamental challenge: they lacked proper soccer jerseys. Co-captains Freya Richter and Annabella King, both Grade 12 students, recalled the embarrassment of competing in last year's championship match wearing borrowed volleyball team kits.
"They had a volleyball on the shirt's crest," explained Richter, a winger in her fifth season with the team. "They were tight like spandex and not meant for playing soccer."
The alternatives proved equally inadequate. The team had access to decades-old bright yellow jerseys from the boys team or mismatched maroon soccer kits with peeling and duplicate numbers, neither of which could properly outfit their 17-player roster.
Taking Matters Into Their Own Hands
With no guarantee of proper uniforms for the 2026 season, the players launched a grassroots fundraising campaign between May and June last year. They transformed school afternoons into "Freezie Fridays," selling frozen treats on Templeton's back field. Additionally, they partnered with local coffee roaster Moja, selling bags of beans to neighbors and local women's teams while taking a small cut from each sale.
Through these efforts, the Titans raised just over $2,000, enough to purchase proper team jerseys. "I didn't care about how the jerseys were going to look," said King. "I just wanted them to be able to do the job."
School Funding Challenges
In a statement, the Vancouver school district explained that athletic budgets are determined at the individual school level, with each secondary school deciding how to allocate its resources. This system creates significant variation in funding for uniforms and equipment across different schools. Many programs rely on a combination of sources, including facility rentals, school merchandise sales, parent advisory committee contributions, and student fundraising initiatives.
"Schools may choose to fundraise to upgrade equipment or uniforms," the district noted. "While most teams charge a uniform deposit for a uniform, some teams choose to not take the school-supplied uniform in order to personalize and keep them at season's end. In those cases, students have to fundraise and/or pay for them."
A Legacy of Determination
The push for proper uniforms followed years of building the Titans program from the ground up, according to Anthony Hempell, who has coached the team since 2022 when his daughter Lilly was a player. This season, Templeton English teacher Taylor McVay joined as co-coach, continuing the program's growth and development.
Even without proper equipment, the team demonstrated exceptional skill, dominating at the Argyle Girls Soccer tournament last season by scoring nine goals without conceding a single one. Their success story serves as a testament to determination, teamwork, and the power of student initiative in overcoming resource challenges in school athletics.
