SoniaO'Neill

Sonia first realized her dream of playing professional soccer in northern Europe when she signed with the Swedish Elitettan club Husqvarna FF, scoring two goals in her opening match. This began her football journey through Europe, where she played with Roma CF in the Italian Serie B, and Pink Bari in Serie A, before heading to Croatia to suit up with ZNK Split, becoming the first Venezuelan player to score in the Women’s Champions League. In her playing career, she has also made stops in France, Germany, Scotland, and London.

A holder of three passports, Sonia is eligible to play for Canada, Venezuela, and Italy at the international level. In 2019, she got the call from the Venezuelan National Team and went on to play the most minutes in the 2021 season.

Sonia is a leader off the pitch too. She enjoys helping local soccer clubs, introducing kids to the sport, mentoring and training them, and she is motivated by watching their confidence grow as they develop. 

But her true focus is to inspire young girls. As the mother to a young daughter, Sonia wants to be part of a club that wants to win the league and make history, and genuinely wants to help female football grow through providing more opportunities to youth in Canada.

Did You Know?

Sonia’s role model is her youth soccer coach, Junior Groves, because he helps youth use football as a tool for life, instilling a love of the game, teaching discipline, trying to help them stay out of trouble, and inspiring them to consider university or play professionally.