Chelsea’s Buchanan will help fund female players in single-parent families with the help of FIFA

Chelsea’s Canadian defender Kadeisha Buchanan knows what it feels like to dream big while living with limited resources. She grew up in Toronto, the youngest of seven daughters of a single mother who moved from house to house.

Football became Buchanan’s escape. But the costs were staggering. She always preferred new football boots to school shoes. She often asked teammates for rides to practices and games.

Buchanan is now launching a foundation for girls in single-parent homes to help fund their football goals, and is one of 14 female players around the world to be part of the FIFA Player Impact Program, which was unveiled on Friday.

“This project is a bull’s eye,” the 32-year-old said in an interview with Reuters. “I’m super passionate about it because this is basically my life story.

«I lived in Toronto, Mississauga, Georgetown and Brampton. I just moved from house to house. Mom (Melsadie Tate), being Jamaican, it was hard for her to find a job, so we ended up in government housing. I remember an email from the team saying, ‘Kadeisha Buchanan, your fees are still due.’

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“There were a lot of mouths to feed. But my mother was really busy, asking friends and family to help with travel, registration fees and uniforms. So it really took a community to get me to where I am today through football.”

Those experiences helped shape her foundation.

TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Armed with an initial $25,000 plus guidance from global football governing body FIFA, Buchanan plans to provide financial assistance and mentorship to 12 girls aged 12 to 16, helping them “get to the next level, whether they go pro or go to America on a full scholarship.”

Players had to pitch ideas to FIFA, which also included Melchie Duornay (Haiti), Gaelle Enganamouit (Cameron), Formiga (Brazil), Seba Tawfiq (Saudi Arabia), Tabitha Chawiking (Malawi), Lydia Williamsia (Japantralia), Saki umai), Saki maginalia (Japantralia), Saki maginalia (Japan (England), Tierna Davidson (USA), Malia Steinmetz) (New Zealand), Laura Georges (France/Guadeloupe) and Khadija Shaw (Jameaica).

For FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis, the initiative is about helping players extend their legacies beyond the game.

“Players leave an impact on the pitch, but they also want and care so much to create a legacy and pass on this striker,” Ellis told Reuters.

«My hope (through Buchanan’s foundation) is to find the next Kadeisha Buchanan and help her. What I know about these players is that it matters that they give back.»

Ellis believes the strength of the program lies in amplifying the voices of players.

“Kadeisha’s initiative is to get girls interested in football and keep them there,” she said. “And what a role model. There is no better medium for impact than the players’ own voices and their own intentions.”

For Buchanan, the goal is simple: to give girls the opportunities they once craved.

“Growing up, the Canadian international team often played at BMO Field (Toronto), and I couldn’t attend because the tickets were just expensive,” she said.

“So if I could work with Canada Soccer to get tickets for the group of girls to go to games, I think that would be fun and something I’ve never been able to do.”

Buchanan, who was a key member of the Canadian team that won gold at the 2022 Olympics and has three Women’s Super League titles plus an FA Cup with Chelsea, has not played since tearing her anterior cruciate ligament just over a year ago but said she has made good progress after some setbacks in her recovery.

Buchanan is also pursuing her other passion: coaching, and is working towards her UEFA A license.

Published on November 28, 2025