Under Armour chooses first ever Canadian Youth Ambassador.

“When I heard that I was going to be Under Armour’s first Canadian youth ambassador and part of TEAM UA NEXT Canada powered by Sport Chek I was super EXCITED! Exclaimed Maya.”

Beating out hundreds of young athletes across Canada for the honour of being named to Team UA Next, Maya, who plays basketball for the Etobicoke Thunder and soccer for the Islington Rangers, was an ideal and natural choice.

“Maya’s determination, hard work and passion for sports, combined with her desire to inspire other girls both on and off the field made her an ideal youth ambassador for Under Armour”, declared Under Armour marketing director Shana Ferguson.

As a UA ambassador, Maya was invited to fly to Under Armour headquarters in Baltimore for the campaign photo shoot, and also got to meet one of her heroes Canadian-American soccer player Janine Beckie, who plays for the Houston Dash.  The gigantic posters of Maya will now appear in Sport Chek stores across the country.

“This opportunity has built my confidence in myself and allowed me to experience things I don’t think I would have without Under Armour,” says Maya. “I hope to pass on to young girls who aspire to become athletes that no matter how hard you work in a sport or who you beat, if you don’t truly enjoy your sport then there is no point in playing at all. You also can’t let anybody bring you down with words, because you are strong no matter what, and as long as you know that you can become anything you want, athlete or not.”

So what exactly does being an ambassador mean? Maya will join the elite roster of Under Armour athletes, serving as Under Armour’s first Canadian youth ambassador. In addition to being featured in the brand campaign at Sport Chek and Sports Experts, she will also receive exclusive access to Under Armour gear.  In addition, she will help promote the 2018 contest as Under Armour searches for the next TEAM UA NEXT Canada youth ambassadors.

For this year’s competition, parents, guardians, mentors and coaches have until August 31, 2017, to nominate a young athlete, aged 7-12, online at TeamUAnext.ca. Entrants must submit videos throughout the summer showing their passion, athleticism and make a compelling case for why they should be a face of TEAM UA NEXT Canada.