PLAYER PROFILE – Kaela Hansen, an AFC Toronto British Columbian defender, was born on April 13, 2000, and brought up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The 5’7” defender is also a childhood friend of Emma Regan, who is the captain of AFC Toronto.
Kaela Hansen: Instrumental AFC Toronto Defender
Childhood
Hansen speaks both English and French. Her father, Ed, was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, while her mother was born in Santos Thomas, in the Philippines. Hansen was quite the athlete growing up, playing sports such as baseball, lacrosse, hockey, ringette, gymnastics, volleyball, and basketball. Her favourite role models/teams growing up were Desiree Scott, Jessie Fleming, N’Golo Kanté, and FC Barcelona.
Hansen started playing youth soccer at age five with the Burnaby Metro Select SC. She would also play for Cliff Avenue United FC, Burnaby Girls SC, and Mountain United. She would then go play for the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite team, where she would win the Whitecaps FC Youth Player of the Month for July 2016.
Additionally, Hansen was only 16 years old when she made her debut with the Canadian youth program and represented Canada at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup of 2016.
Most Information above can be seen with Kaela Hansen’s Canada Soccer Profile.
Kaela Hansen: Kansas Jayhawks, College Career (2019-22)
Hansen’s college career with the Kansas Jayhawks (representing the University of Kansas) was very successful. It included winning the Big 12 Tournament Championship and making the Academic All-Big 12 First Team from 2019-22. She started all 21 games in her first season as a freshman (2018) for the Jayhawks, as she averaged 78.6 minutes per game. Hansen played a big role in Kansas posting nine shutouts for her team.
During her sophomore season in 2019, she played in all 25 games for the program. She helped the Jayhawks’ defence to 12 shutouts, which is the second most in the program’s history. She also played 79.6 minutes, the fifth-most among all KU field players. Again, in her junior year, she played all 13 matches, which included playing 110 minutes against Iowa State and Kansas State.
She would start all 19 matches for her team in her senior year in 2021, and then in her super-senior year in 2022, she made some remarkable history.
Hansen once again started all games (this time 20 games). In 17 of those matches, she played 90 minutes and led the team in minutes played (1,735 minutes played). She finished her career as the all-time program leader in minutes played (8,302) and earned the most starts (98) of any player in program history.
Source for Everything Above: University of Kansas Soccer (Kansas Jayhawks Website)
Signing Contract with ŽFK Spartak Subotica
She would then go to sign with the ŽFK Spartak Subotica of the Serbian Women’s Super League, which was her first-ever professional contract.
This is what Kansas Jayhawks head coach, Mark Francis, said about Hansen’s contract with ŽFK Spartak Subotica:
“I am really happy for Kaela to get her professional soccer career started,” Francis said. “I am proud of her and the work she has put in during her five seasons at Kansas to help give her this incredible opportunity. I look forward to keeping track of her over the course of the season.”
Hansen truly proved herself by getting the contract in Serbia by making a name for herself with Kansas City University.
Professional Career
ŽFK Spartak Subotica (2023)
Hansen would play two seasons in Subotica, Serbia. She would win the League Cup and the Title with ŽFK Spartak Subotica. There, she once again played in every single game, just like with the University of Kansas (Source: ŽFK Spartak Subotica Website).
Hansen would also score her first and as of right now, only goal scored in her professional career. This is how Hansen described the jubilation of scoring a goal with her teammates (Source: KU Sports):
“I was on cloud nine for the rest of the game, it was just so surreal for me,” Hansen said. “And then to have all my teammates that I literally just met two months ago all rush to me and give me a hug and praise me and literally be so happy for me was just such an amazing feeling.
For a defender, these opportunities do not come very often, and for Hansen, she took full advantage of the opportunity in front of her and scored a goal she will remember forever.
Kuopion Palloseura (2024)
In 2024, Hansen would move on to play with Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) in the Veikkausliiga, which is the top-flight league of Finnish football. There, she played 23 games for the club.
This is what Kuopio Football Club head coach, Valtteri Kumpuniemi, said about Hansen when she joined the club in 2024 (Source: KuPs Website):
“We are happy that Kaela is joining our team. She is a versatile player who already has important experience from European games last season,” summarizes Valtteri.
Hansen played a crucial role for her team, just like her previous teams, she would play lots of minutes for Palloseura. She played many matches in the National League and one of her two matches in the Women’s Finnish Cup.
AFC Toronto (2025-Present)
Hansen, a player from British Columbia, could finally play professionally in Canada with the Northern Super League/Super Ligue du Nord. She decided to play with AFC Toronto in December 2024, along with AFC Toronto captain, Regan.
This is what AFC Toronto head coach, Marko Milanovic, said about Hansen (AFC Toronto Press Release):
“Kaela is a player on the rise, and we are excited to have her join AFC Toronto,” said Marko Milanovic, Head Coach of AFC Toronto. “Her dedication and technical ability, coupled with her ambition, align perfectly with AFC Toronto, and this will make her a strong contributor to the success of the club.”
READ MORE: AFC Toronto and CANWNT Player Profile: Emma Regan
Her childhood friend, Regan, also had good things to say about Hansen (Source: Neil Davidson of The Canadian Press):
“She’s an amazing player,” Regan said of Hansen. “Just very fearless, A ruthless defender. Very very smart going forward as well. She’s the type of player that you don’t want to play against. When you see her lining up across from you, you should have a bit of fear in you.
READ MORE: Ottawa Rapid’s First Goal Changed the Momentum of the Game
Hansen has already played in two of the three games for AFC, including the first-ever game for the club against the Montreal Roses FC at BMO Field.
Additionally, she was called up to a training camp for the Philippines Women’s National Team while being a member of AFC Toronto.
Kaela Hansen: Her Durability and Technical Ability
READ MORE: 2025 AFC Toronto Season: The First-Ever Squad
Hansen’s greatest asset might be her durability and ability to play many minutes for multiple games. She may not be the one people notice on the scoresheet, but she does make her presence known for every team she has played for. She is also very technical with the ball, as mentioned by his current head coach, Milanovic of AFC Toronto.
Hansen and AFC Toronto’s next game will be on Sunday at 2:00pm ET against the Vancouver Rise FC at York Lions Stadium. That game will be shown live on TSN+, ESPN+, and nsl.ca.
Photo Credit: Mikiko ISHIKAWA on October 18, 2023.
