Episode 6-13 - February 7th 2023

Anastasia: The last few years have seen Canadian Women's soccer go from strength to strength to OMG Canada actually won Olympic Gold!!!

In team sports- you can't just declare: this one person made it happen.

But what we can say, is that Coach Beverley Priestman made good on a promise to "change the colour of the medal." And we can also say- she aims to take Canada deep into this year's world cup. Bookmark this podcast. Bev Priestman means business.

[music]

Let's start off with some fun facts. Your birthday is the 29th of April. Mine is the 30th. We're almost birthday twins.

Bev Priestman: There we go.

Anastasia: What is your most Taurus trait? Do you follow the Zodiac?

Bev Priestman: I kind of do. And I'm actually not that stubborn, although I don't know if my staff would agree, but I think I'm just strong, strong minded. The bull in me is sort of, you know, we did this whole personality test with our staff, and I'm a D, which means I'm direct and I am, you know, but I've got that little bit of people skills in me as well. But yeah, I think that's the bull in me. I can, if I need to be, be direct and get after something.

What about you?

Anastasia: I am too, but I'm also a people pleaser, so I'm like:please, please, please. And then if someone mistakes my kindness for weakness, I can kind of…

Bev Priestman: Get right in there.

Anastasia: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you done Myers-Briggs?

Bev Priestman: No.

Anastasia: Okay. We did it when I was a speed skater. We did it with our coaches, so, you know, you could explore communication styles and whatnot. But yes, I'm extroverted and judging.

Bev Priestman: Okay.

Anastasia: Yeah, it's a good one. Also, this is just a fangirl question. You, once upon a time worked for Everton.

Bev Priestman: Yes.

Anastasia: Okay. Do you know who Jodie Comer is?

Bev Priestman: Jodie Comer. No. But is this going to embarrass me on a podcast that I don't know who this is?

Anastasia: No. Okay. She is. She's from Liverpool. I think she's probably the greatest young actress right now. She played Villanelle on Killing Eve. Have you seen Killing Eve?

Bev Priestman: You can laugh, but I am useless at watching any sort of series. I fall asleep. Anything documentary, I'm in. There's a few series I like, but I am actually useless at movies and series.

Anastasia: I forgive you. But her father, I believe, is a physiotherapist for the team. So I was like, Do you know him? Because that would be my 15 minutes of fame. But I mean, this is a dead end, unfortunately. Have you have you been watching Harry and Meghan?

Bev Priestman: Yes. I feel for Harry in the way of his mother. So I love Princess Diana. I'm all for I guess what he's trying to get across just may be doing it in the wrong way. That would be my high level summary: does he need to drag it through the way it's been dragged through the world? But I do sit with him in the sense of probably what he's trying to do for his wife, happened to his mother, etc.

Anastasia: So yeah, that's a that's brilliantly put. I think 99% of people would agree with you. I believe everything they're saying. But yeah, I mean, I don't need to hear about some of those things in the book. I've heard them all on Tik Tok, though. Do you miss England?

Bev Priestman: Yes, I do in some ways. You know, like I went back there for two years and I realised a little bit more how much I did love it compared to probably my memories of it. It's like all the lifestyle in New Zealand and Canada is so much better, you know, which is largely true. But I think there's little things that you miss, you know, going down to your local country pub to have your Sunday roast, the football sort of culture and family, big part of it was family like being able to, got a little boy and they'd have him for the weekend like none of the support network here in Canada. But yeah I do miss elements of it was I'm not sure I would have said that a long time ago.

Anastasia: I've been there. You think: Oh, I don't miss that. And then you're there and you're like, I actually really do miss that. I think about speed skating almost in that same term. So why did you get into coaching then? Let's just go headfirst into that.

Bev Priestman: I think because I wasn't good enough to make it to the highest level. So I loved like, absolutely. You speak to my mom and dad. I was in the street kicking a ball around from really, really young and the only girl in sort of a boys team, all of that, you know, I was football mad. And but I think I reached a point, you know, I played county level and things, but I realised I wasn't going to …I wasn't going to make it to the highest level. And I loved I always wanted to be a teacher because I had an incredible teacher at primary school that sort of like, you know, took me under their wing.

And so you put the love of football, you put teaching together. And to be honest, I met John Herdman. He coached me it probably 13 was the first time he sort of coached me. And all of a sudden my passion just went through the roof. Probably like a lot of the Canadian women's team when he came in in in 2012. And yeah, and then it sort of snowballed from there.

My playing career probably took off a little bit more, but then I saw it used to go down every night. He ran this Brazilian soccer school over the road from my house at my school, and it was a girl's day on one of the days and the rest was full of like boys signing up. And I'd go every night and put cones down, you know, And it sort of evolved from there, really.

Anastasia: So he coached you.

Bev Priestman: He coached me? Yes. I'm not sure what his experience is worth. You know, I had all the tricks in the book. That is a bit like John, right. Brazilian soccer school. roll the ball down my arm, all the crazy stuff. But you put me on a let me say, football pitch. And, you know, I wasn't I'd be a better futsal player than I would like a professional football player. That's probably the summary. So I do have a bias towards small technical players, you could say, because. Yeah.

Anastasia: Do you miss playing? Like, do you ever dream about it?

Bev Priestman: No, I don't. I don't. You know what? When I got into serious coaching, I'd still try and keep playing, but I'd just get frustrated and I'd, you know, I'd want to coach the team because the coach was poor or whatever it might be. I actually. I actually don't miss it. No, I think I'll fill that void with, like, working out skiing, you know, all of the other other passions. But no, not really, which is crazy.

Anastasia: So did you ever have other passions that perhaps got in the way of coaching or were you like, no, this is this is my calling, this my vocation?

Bev Priestman: Yeah, Well, I did a university degree in science of football, so if I wasn't going to make it as a coach, I'm not sure what I was going to do. But yeah, no, like I've always been that sort of like from the age of four you could say like driven. But I was an average school student, but then I went to college and study coaching and then university and I went from being like bang average to like student of the year.

And just it just shows you what like channelling your passion into something can do for you. So I'm I'm actually really lucky that I got into it because it's worked out well so far.

Anastasia: So you and John and this is a podcast, of course, about you, but you're both from Durham. Yes.

Bev Priestman: Consett in Durham. It's even smaller town. Yeah.

Anastasia: So we I mean, Canadians should just be sending flowers to Consett because we owe you. But how did that influence, you know, your time coaching and developing into a coach?

Bev Priestman: Yeah, it's a really small town. Like, everybody knows everybody. You can walk. You know, if you talk about my younger days, you walk in a local nightclub and it's the same people. It's the same, you know, it's very much a small town, but very like working class. So very working class. So anybody in my family and I'd imagine in John's incredibly hard work and my mom and dad to this day, I'll never retire. You know, it's that sort of. Yeah, like hard work and hard and, you know, people get into fights every day. You know, it's it's a pretty rough place to come from.

But I think it's my roots and it's, you know, you put something in front of me and I've got to get past it. I'm going to get past it. And so I think what you see in John as well is that work ethic, hard work, passion. I think it's sort of made us, there's something about that town and where you come from, what you have to go through to get where you want to get to that maybe shapes you in a certain certain way, I don't know.

Anastasia: So coming from Consett to Canada, I'm always interested in how coaches balance bringing their own lived experience and culture and then kind of fitting it for the Canadian way of life. How'd you do that?

Bev Priestman: Well, I was a bit like John. I was in New Zealand for eight years first, so New Zealand's like super laid back but again, we almost changed the face of the country, you know, it was one of them. But, but I do think when you've travelled and you've lived in different places, you have to embrace the culture like very much feel like Canadian, my little boy's Canadian, my wife's from New Zealand. So like because I haven't lived in consett since I was like I went to university, right? So since I was 18, I actually feel very like you could say culturedbut yes, you just embrace the people you're around. I understand what it means to be Canadian. I think, you know, obviously there's parts of me that don't quite you know, I didn't grow up with a hockey stick in -20 and thank God for that. But but I do think it's just yeah, I think you have to listen, you have to understand you surround yourself with people and you sort of adapt, really. You can't just come in and lay a blanket over I know that much.

Anastasia: Okay, so coming from Consett and then New Zealand, were there any Canadian traits that just felt really foreign to you?

Bev Priestman: Ooh, I think like the whole I remember I went to out East to like work with some coaches and things and I go into the mall and I'm getting a Starbucks and I see people like running around, like with running clothes on. And I'm like, people are running inside a mall. Like, what? But then you understand.

Anastasia: That's weird even for me. That's weird.

Bev Priestman: Okay. well, that's maybe not very Canadian, but I think the whole living and being able to live in extreme temperatures and again, I'm not really experienced in that because I'm in Vancouver and that's very much like Auckland type weather. But I don't think I could do it. I don't think I could live in minus whatever. Like, I'm so soft when I go east. I think some of the hall like kids I'd love to see online, like playing ice hockey in the street, you know, like all of that. That's. I find that really cool. Rather than foreign to me. But the weather extreme is like Desi, in Winnipeg? and I'm like, oh my God, I could not survive in that.

Anastasia: No, I agree with you too. And I'm from Calgary, so it can get cold there. I mean, what you're saying is completely true and I think we take it for granted or we assume that it's not as bad as it is. But in Beijing for the Winter Olympics, just this past February, I was working in the mix zone for the opening ceremony alongside some Aussies. And I mean, it was like World War Three for these poor people. It was maybe minus five. I was in jeans and running shoes. I was fine. They were crying. So I think we do take the weather for granted. I remember I had an old coach too, who was American, and he just he couldn't get over the red tape in Canada like he just, everything took way too long.

Bev Priestman: Yes.

Anastasia: And that's a I mean, American perspective. But I always find that really fascinating.

[music]

12:30 When you think of the different, you know, nationalities that you've coached, whether it be women in England, in New Zealand, in Canada. Would you say they face the same struggles or are all the struggles slightly unique to those countries?

Bev Priestman: I think if you asked me a few years ago, I would have said like, Canada's a you know, like England? The women's game didn't get a look in right. When I was a player there was no pathway, really, when I thought about even if I was good enough to play pro at that time, I didn't really have a pathway. New Zealand, it's netball for women, rugby for men. And then I came to Canada and oh my God, like the women's game is you know, is yet is the country's sort of like and it still is.

But I think what I've started to feel probably a little bit is the the same struggles are there around female sports and coverage and you know do the players get what they deserve. You know, all of that. I think that's universal. I don't know if I felt that maybe you could say before the gold medal, you know, you could see I didn't really feel that as much. But I think I feel it a little bit more now. And but I think when you look across those cultures and where they've now gone, so my experience in England, where it was to where it is now, is an absolute night and day. 14mins

You know, I'm obsessed. Um, access to watch Sky Sports News because I love watching it on repeat, which annoys my household. However, like the amount of women's football coverage on that, that would never ever have been the way ten years ago. So yeah it's it's evolved it's changed. But I do still think that the women's team in this country is like the nations the nation is in love with the women's team. I just think we can do a better job of probably celebrating what they've done, where they're at and in the grand scheme of things. And yeah, I'm excited for the World Cup because I think it'll be a real good snapshot of where the countries are. And then you go and ad pro and it will hopefully move this country forward.

Anastasia: Do you think Canada is really becoming the football nation that we say we are?

Bev Priestman: Yeah, I think like I go to grassroots, my little boys and the buzz is totally different. And then maybe again five years ago when I was here and before. But I think at the real true professional and that's going to be the the bit that's going to shift it a whole nother level because every week on your TV screen, you get to see players play not once every four years in the Olympic Games, you know, on on TV that everyone can access. Or, you know, we've talked about going from the Olympics to the World Cup. And why is that important? For me? It puts the women's team on the stage not once every four years where we medal. It actually then adds a World Cup a second year for us. Yeah, every two years or whatever. So I think the high end part of the game, professional and the women's national team that needs more coverage like it absolutely needs more coverage to really feel like a football country if I compare to, you know, some of the nations.

Anastasia: So what's the struggle like being a head coach then,who knows that you need coverage and media, but that also media can hamper performance at times?

Bev Priestman: Yeah, it's you know, I always said so like it was a sprint to the Olympics in many ways no one even thought. I think deep down a lot of people, based on the results, were like, it's going to be tough to get a bronze medal again. And, you know, it happened so quick and even now it's a bit of a blur. But I always said the years after that gold medal or the year or two after would be the toughest part of my career. You know what I mean? Because you can feel I feel that youth and that's what made me and I came back and, you know, you see yourself as a coach, but I'll reflected on this year and did I really enjoy the qualifiers for the World Cup? If I'm being completely honest, that's a massive amount of pressure.

When you've just won an Olympic Games, you can't actually enjoy anything. And so for me, the World Cup, I'm so like pumped, excited in that sense because yeah, they'll be pressure and there'll be scrutiny and all the rest of it. But it's, it's nice to be at a place where, yeah, if you, if you don't win a World Cup you've done really well if you win the women's CONCACAF championship. Well yeah you probably should, you know. So I heard some of that in the media but yeah, I think I like the pressure, I like the scrutiny, gets the best out of me. And you know, whenever we've lost a game, we've gone on to get like back to back to back wins. And sometimes, like a win teaches you nothing but a loss can teach you everything. And I think, yeah, I think it's part of the job. I think I enjoy it more than I thought I would.

Anastasia: So right now, do you feel like you're going towards a dream versus running away or being afraid of failure?

Bev Priestman: And it's not that I was afraid of failure. Well, maybe it was, but I just I don't know. Like people say: that CONCAF you guys played some of your best. And for me I reflect and I'm like, well, we came some of the goals scored. You think of like Chappy at the back foot some of them goals were incredible, but I just, I was almost like, Right, we've got to get the World Cup. We've got to qualify for that. You know, it was like boom, boom. Where is the World Cup? Yeah, I think I'm back to like excitement and challenge and I don't know, it's but we did talk about this.

When you come down off that mountain of winning an Olympics, my biggest thing we got there because we were brave. We had nothing to lose in many ways because no one expected us to. And I said to the group, you had to come down. You got to climb an even bigger mountain, but trust that no one's going to take that medal away. Because what I was worried about but what you said is that the fear would stop us doing everything that got us there. You know, like, Oh, someone's going to take away the title of being an Olympic champion. Well, nobody can. And now we've got to go on climbing of the mountain. So I think that fearless, brave, nothing to lose mindset is something we've really got to go after this year.

[sound up cbc sports clip- Julia Grosso penalty kick, Canada wins gold medal, crowd cheers]

Anastasia: TOKYO2020 Was there a moment in the tournament where you thought, Oh, this might be fate? Because I was at the game, I was one of the lucky, like 200 people. Perhaps that got to watch

Bev Priestman: Was there 200 there? Didn't feel like it!

Anastasia: Yeah, yeah, maybe 100. Who knows? And I took the bullet train and I walked alone, and I. I honestly just thought, I think Canada's going to win a gold medal, like in my. And I don't say that. Like, I get I respect sport as sport, but was there a moment where you thought this might be fate?

Bev Priestman: Yes, I think the minute we won that Brazil game, everything changed for me. And we you know, we had a good group stage but not great. You know, if I'm being honest, we conceded some goals late that we weren't happy with. And but, you know, the art of tournament football, you move on. And we had some brief conversations. We moved on. But that Brazil game was a horrible game of football. I hated every minute of it because it wasn't, there was zero, you know, there wasn't a lot of chances. Sincy got injured a little bit too, got through the game. I remember in that penalty shoot out thinking I had Maeve Glass, who's been part of the program for a long time now. I'm thinking like, what am I going to say to these people that might retire, you know, like even some of the players, what Was Igoing to say, you know, all these things are going through my head rather than win the penalty shoot out. But when that moment happened, the elation! And we got clips of like Tanc,(redi) running, sprinting and from the stands and you know, that high? I think that got us through. And I remember being on the bus to the US game and knowing I was going to win, which I am the most like what if and what if? And there was just something in my gut for the USA game. And then obviously when we won the US game and we gave them a day off in the village and I remembered I had the best day of my life, on that day off and I made sure of it. And again, that's not like me.

And then we get to the stadium and there's this eerie feeling, I remember: I'm into a gold medal match of an Olympic Games. And it just almost for that reason alone felt we could do this, like, We can do it. And yes, I would say the Brazil game was like the point where I was like, okay, let's go.

Anastasia: Yeah. Also, I love that you said maeve glass's name because she listens to this podcast and she's one of the most wonderful people I think I've ever met. So let's just give some love to maeve glass.

Bev Priestman: A big part in the program. She's been a big part of the program. Yeah.

Anastasia: She was the the equipment manager for.

Bev Priestman: Almost 15 years. I want to say 15 years. Yes.

[music]

Anastasia: So you win a gold medal and you have this next touchstone in a World Cup. There's tons of pressure. But your wife. Do you mind if I just chat about her quickly? I mean, she's the head of women's development in Vancouver, correct? Yeah. So what gives you optimism for the future or the depth of female footy players in this country?

Bev Priestman: I think it's the, see, I think one of our X factors has been that the kids, that come into the women's national team can compete. And I think in a lot of countries the players take the traditional route of 15s, 17s, 20s, 23s, you know, and some of that's been because we haven't had the depth. But I've got to say, even to try and pick the She Believes squad, we sat down as a staff and I'm like, imagine if Deanne Rose wasn't injured. Nichelle Prince, like to actually pick the team is firstly tells me that there's talent there's depth and I only think if we could afford to give them youth players what they should get compared to other nations, imagine what they could do on the world stage, you know? So for me there's an incredible amount of depth.

There is something in in a Canadian make up, you know, when you talk about culture having to shovel snow at -30, there's something in Canadian players that as a coach on the sideline, you know, they can do anything like mentally, there's something unique that is really, really special. So you take that, you take the talent and you take the passion. Like you look at what Diana, Stef, I cannot wait to see what happens in 2025. And to be honest before then, because I think the whole world sponsors a whole load of organisations that are ready to sign up and say, Let's do this thing.

And so I think to have, you know, you look at the draft recently, in the NWSL, obviously one dual citizen got drafted. There's a whole load of Canadian talent in the NCAA not lost. But we kind of there the incredible youth players that have gone there and to be honest, they need that platform now to make the next step. So I'm just, if we can win this World Cup, which we can, we can on our day, I fully believe that. And, you know, it's only going to kick start again and add to what the likes of Diana, Stef, and people have put their heart and soul into. And I really do hope it changes the country forever because, you know, we've said that we want to do the gold for that. And, you know, I think the World Cup would be the icing on the cake. And then that Pro League is set there, ready to to launch. 24:09

Anastasia: How often do you talk about soccer in your household?

Bev Priestman: Well, we try not to too much, but yeah, we do. You know what we do. We do. Yeah. And it's quite cool because I think to have someone that understands, you know, she was at Liverpool in the professional game day in, day out. They understand, right? So when you have to do the extra 3 hours on a weekend, you know, Saturday morning, I need to get this done or the phone never stops. You know, a head coach, you've got maybe like 14 staff plus the players clubs your phone never stops. But I think when you've got someone that understands, understands it and has lived it and then you bounce things. Right?

I remember she said to me, Bev why the hell have you said you're going to change the colour of the medal like you're putting so much, you know, but to get that truth mirror and you know, she's eating the words now. But like I do think sometimes the only person that will ever tell me the truth is is her so and vice versa. So, yes, we do talk about it but we try not to 24 seven.

Anastasia: So you're a female coach, You're a gay coach. How do you think that has helped you connect with players or helped your coaching?

Bev Priestman: Yeah, I think I only realised that, you know, when we won the gold medal I had a whole load of female coaches reach out and I don't think I really again understood the scope of a female coach winning, you know, and showingn that you can win a young female coach, because that's always also been the trait with me. You know, you look SinC there's a group of players that are older than me and that I'm coach and so you've got the young, you've got the female. And, and I remember that there was a tweet actually, and I said it to I was speaking to a group of coaches and it was like one of the best young female coaches in the world. And I was like, my dream would be that the young and the female got taken out of this and it was just a coach. And and yeah, I think like the whole the whole thing. I've always been like sort of more private until I got married and you have a little boy and now I think it's relatable for some of the players of course. But yeah, I just think it it makes people feel more comfortable to be who they are and like to see. After the after the gold medal, you had coaches reaching out to your and what it meant to be a female coach who was successful.

Anastasia: How do you manage your personalities on your team then?

Bev Priestman: I don't. I leave them to it. No. And, you know, I think like, again, a little bit working with Phil in England, to be honest. Being in the dressing room, he played under Sir Alex. Champions League. I always found it fascinating how we dealt with different players, the likes of Lucy Bronze, who at the time was, you know, right up their will, best player and everything. And then how you manage dynamics in the team and and you know I've probably learnt a lot of that side of it from him I think I would have been like throw a blanket over. Everybody has to conform to this. And you know, maybe in my younger days I think as long as it's a team first sort of mindset.

I think I recognise that Chappy is very different to a Sinc and Jessie are very, very different to, you know, a whole load of other people. And I think it's trying to untap those different things I've learnt, you know. Sinc is an incredible leader and person, but I think I've now learnt how to deal with Sinc in that, you know, it's a simple game. She just wants to keep it simple and she's got that experience. And so I just think I'm learning as I go, to be honest, I don't want to say I'm winging it, but you get to know your players more. And of course I had a sprint to the Olympics. Did I really know the players and did I really know Sinc To be honest, because she'd been injured for a lot of it at that point, no. And so I'm still learning that now. And hopefully by the time we get the World Cup, I know the players a lot better than I did in Tokyo.

Anastasia: So everyone knows Christine Sinclair as kind of an introverted leader. What would surprise folks that may not know her as well as you do?

Bev Priestman: I don't know if there is any surprise. I think she's incredibly funny. If you don't know her, you'd think she's serious, but she actually is really like quick witted and yeah, like can pull a one liner out the back type thing. But I think an interview she saw, it gives that away a little bit and incredibly competitive and you know I probably was one of the first coaches that had to sub Christine out and you know you see that reaction that's passion that's a winner that's and I don't think that would surprise people based on what she's achieved.

But everything you would imagine, humble. I watch her in the gym actually I can't remember where we are. I was on a bike and they were had a gym session. And you get to take in the dynamic of the group and you've got young Jordan Huytema and you've got, you know, and you start to see and I know why she's still playing and delivering what she's delivered by just watching the habits that she has in that gym. And I think that all credit to her after what she's achieved, some people take the foot off the gas and that's not her as you said.

Anastasia: You know, we can win the World Cup on any given day. What is the game plan going into Australia?

Bev Priestman: I think, you know, I don't want to give my secrets away, but the women's game, the women's game has gone back to back to back to back summer tournaments. And so we've seen more injuries, more burnout than we've ever seen before. You've seen like Janine given Janine time off and a few of the players, it's unheard of. And I speak to some of the European coaches after the Euros. Same thing. I actually think I'm going to make a statement here. And it was actually my assistant who said this to me, Bev, because we were talking about want to be the fittest team there. In many ways, the freshest team wins this World Cup.

And so and the design of how we go into that in the preparation camp and, you know, we've done it a little bit in Brazil. We gave them like an optional training day where they did little individual sessions and things. I think how we designed this World Cup is going to have a huge impact. No longer do we want it's 52 days. I did it with England. We made it to 51. We never got that 52nd day. In many ways that's been the downside of Canada. We've been intense. We're used to these sort of short, sharp, let's get it done. But when it comes to the tournament where you've got to be just as fresh on day 52 as you were on day one, I think that's going to be the art. How do we keep people fresh, hungry, motivated? And I think some of the depth is going to do that, to be honest. It's no longer a starting 11 and you can pretty much predict the team. I think some of that will keep that fresh and we will have the luxury to be able to hopefully rotate some spots and things. But I think freshness is is going to be critical.

Anastasia: That is so fascinating because I came from a sport that was periodized down to like 5 minutes. And from a 30,000 foot vantage point. I do think that there's a little wiggle room there with soccer. But again, I didn't go to university for kinesiology. I'm a big drama nerd and now I just host a podcast so you don't have to listen me. But I do think there's another step in footy that you haven't explored. I don't know, do you do altitude training?

Bev Priestman: Yeah. So I would say now at this level, jetlag, altitude, all of that's gone into the professionalism of the game. All I would. See is our players. Now, there's a much more congested calendar with Champions League like the whole burnout, and in many ways, I don't know if the youth development around the world has prepared the players to play as many games and as many… Like you think of the poor Europeans, they finish- French players. Let's say, Ash. She'll finish in June, Champions League even run until June and then expect to go in a pre camp and go to a World Cup and then start back to start the season. Like you can't do that. You're not superhuman. And so I think we have to treat each player a little bit differently. And that's a little bit like I was saying with, with Phil, he had that lens of the players world that maybe I hadn't experienced before that hopefully will help me tailor it a little bit to get the best out some of our big players.

Anastasia: And when you say Phil, you mean Phil Neville.

Bev Priestman: Neville Yes,

Anastasia: See, I do know my footy stuff!

Bev Priestman: The boss; I still say that. He's still saved in my book as 'The Boss' in my phone book.

Anastasia: Oh, that's hilarious. Bev, thank you so much for taking the time to chat today. It's always such a pleasure to see your face and just see what you do and I really appreciate your generosity and time.

Bev Priestman: Thank you so much for having me. It's been fun.

Anastasia: Thank you. Peace.

[music]

Beverley Priestman connected with me from her Vancouver home, where she seldom needs to shovel snow from the driveway …I recorded my side of our chat in Toronto.

Players Own Voice podcast is a cbc sports production.

We're available on CBC Listen and everywhere else you get your podcasts.

Footy fans find us at Hashtag players own voice... My handle is Anastasure .

Olivia Pasquarelli edits our audio.

Adam Blinov wrote our theme music.

David Giddens is our producer.

Thanks for listening. And for our long time listeners, I just got a kitten. And she's cute. Just thought you'd want to know.