PLAYER’S DIARY: Little boy’s admiration so powerful
Published 9:00 am Thursday, October 1, 2026
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A young fan named Jax, who plays for Langley, came up to me with his mom after one of our recent home matches.
He was wearing his Vancouver FC jersey, and asked me to sign it, to take a photograph with him, and then he told me I was his favourite player.
It was such a cool moment and still does not even feel real, because I feel like I am just a local kid myself who is trying my best to represent the team and get to the next level.
Fans are so important, for us as players they give us such a boost and motivation.
And for the local community it is a great feeling to have a local team competing in a pro league for them to get behind and follow, make new friends at the matches, and just support Canadian soccer.
This is the best Vancouver FC has been since the club got started, and we are fighting for a first-ever playoff spot.
With Saturday’s match away to FC Supra du Quebec the first of our final three regular season matches, my message to sports fans in the Lower Mainland is, if you know about us, or you have heard about us and have been questioning whether to come to a game, now is the time.
It is crunch time.
Each game is going to feel like a playoff game, and we can use all the support we can get to help us get over the line.
But also, these are going to be the most enjoyable games to watch and go to, with so much to play for.
So, yeah, I would encourage soccer fans, sports fans, and families across the local community to get out and support Vancouver FC. Come and see your local team, get behind the players, and be part of what we are building here.
It really does make a difference on the field.
That moment with Jax really resonated with me. This is my first season as a professional, and one of the things I have had to get used to is young fans coming onto the field after games looking for photographs and autographs, or people stopping you when they see you around the local area.
The club makes a big effort to interact and connect with the local fans we represent.
I try to get to every kid who is asking because I know how important it can be to them.
When I was a young fan, getting a signature from a Whitecaps player or a national team player was a big moment. It gave me somebody to look up to.
That is why a moment like the one with Jax stays with me.
When a kid tells me I am his favourite player, or that he plays for one of the same local clubs I did, I see a bit of myself in him.
Even more so, this is the time of year when soccer starts to take over.
Growing up, you would see soccer goals going up in parks and the youth and adult leagues are starting, the university seasons are starting, and kids are going back to soccer after school. Artificial turf means we can play through the bad weather.
The major leagues around the world are also getting started again, so soccer is back all over television at the same time and, of course, we are still in the aftermath of the World Cup here in Vancouver.
It is great to play, and it is great to support a team abroad. But I think it is really cool that kids here now have the opportunity to support a local professional team.
When I was younger, all we had was the Whitecaps. Going to local games and seeing them doing well helped keep me interested and motivated. You could watch the players, experience the atmosphere, and then go back to your own field and try to recreate it.
Now, young players in Langley and across the Lower Mainland have Vancouver FC, too, which is a team within a Canadian national league and system. We have local players who have basically all come through the same clubs and the same soccer pathway them or their kids are part of now.
I think that makes the connection feel closer. Our stadium is smaller, we interact with the fans a lot, and the supporters can get to know the players.
We are professionals, but we are still fans ourselves, too.
So this week, I want to thank Jax and every fan who has already made Vancouver FC feel like their team, and invite everyone else to come out, get behind us, and help us take that next step together.
VIDEO: VFC Eagles captain credited with save
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– Kian Proctor is a 20-year-old Vancouver FC defender from Delta, who signed his first professional contract for the 2026 season after a standout year at SFU. He will be writing a weekly column this season, offering insight into himself and his new team.
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