Kat Huxley and Udo Baecker pose with Huxley's award at the SSA AGM (Facebook/Kat Huxley)

By Brady Lang

Huxley snags provincial honour

Mar 25, 2019 | 12:41 PM

It was a big night for Battlefords Youth Soccer, and ultimately, Kat Huxley.

Huxley who coaches the Battlefords United FC and acts as the president and competitive coordinator was named the Saskatchewan Soccer Association’s Grassroots Coach of the Year this past weekend in Regina. The North Battleford product has been coaching for 12 years, and focuses on both sides of the sport, on the field and off.

Huxley was confident coming in, but admitted she was a bit nervous once the list of awards were announced throughout the night.

“I felt like I put in lots of hard work, and I’ve had lots of support from the community, the athletes and the organization,” she said.

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She was up against Saskatoon’s Daniel Cote and said she felt her hard work pay off when she won the award.

“I was super excited. I jumped up and felt like a little kid and pretty much danced my way to the stage,” she said.

Udo Baecker, one of the now lifetime members of Saskatchewan Soccer, urged Huxley to start coaching 12 years ago. Huxley referenced him when reflecting on her coaching career.

“He is one of the most influential people in soccer in Saskatchewan,” she said. “He has always been someone who has been welcoming, a great mentor, positive, and to take that next step.”

Huxley said she feels validation when she looks at her new accomplishment. She said at the end of the day, there’s no way she could have done it without the support of players, coaches, parents and all the volunteers that help out with the programs in the Battlefords.

Moving forward, she strives to take that Baecker influence into her own coaching career, and hopes to get more athletes to continue with the game, give back to the game, and mentor the younger generations.

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brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangBFN