Who passed on your love of soccer? Cameron Pytyck’s story

As the Northern Super League (NSL) heads into its 2026 playoffs, Westland Insurance is celebrating our partnership through the people who make Westland what it is. Our "Who passed on your love of soccer?" series asks employees about the person who introduced them to the game, and the connections soccer creates across generations.

For Cameron Pytyck, Digital Sales Advisor, that person is a youth coach who showed him soccer was about much more than kicking a ball around. The lessons stuck: today, Cameron helps develop the next generation of female athletes, including one who now plays in the NSL.

Where it started: Timbits soccer and a coach named Sav

Cameron's love of the game began at around age four, playing Timbits soccer and watching his local professional team play every weekend.

One of the coaches who helped organize those Timbits games was Saverio "Sav" Lento. Cameron doesn't remember much from that age, but a photo from those days still captures him and his younger brother with Sav after a game.

The passion really took hold at around age 11, when Cameron moved into competitive youth soccer with Sav as his coach.

"I would have to thank my coach Saverio Lento, who showed me that soccer is not just a game where you kick a ball around, but an opportunity to build lifelong relationships with your teammates and experience memories together that will last forever," Cameron says.

An Ontario Cup title and a growing love of the game

Sav coached Cameron's U12 team to an Ontario Cup provincial championship, a memory Cameron says he remembers like it was yesterday.

"I will always remember that championship game and the night that followed with my team and with Sav," he says.

Around the same time, Cameron's fandom grew beyond his hometown team. By 12, in 2010, he was watching the English Premier League every weekend.

A full-circle moment at OFSAA

Of all the tournaments Cameron has played, one stands above most. In 2015, his senior year, his high school team won its regional championship and earned a berth at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship, held that year in Kingston.

He shared the moment with his younger brother, then in Grade 10. Both scored in the final, a 3-1 win.

It was the school's first men's soccer win and trip to OFSAA since 1980, the year Sav was a senior at the very same school.

Lessons that outlast the final whistle

Sav shaped Cameron's technical skills through his developmental years, and his knowledge of the game sharpened Cameron's tactical understanding, both individually and as part of the team.

The lessons Cameron carries with him today go beyond soccer:

• Respect your opponents, no matter the result.
• Be a leader for the people who look up to you.
• Learn to manage your physical and mental emotions when things aren't going your way.

"There are many things Sav taught me in my journey through soccer, and I am grateful to have been coached and mentored by him," Cameron says.

Passing it on: from the sidelines to the NSL

Since 2019, Cameron has been an assistant coach with the Queen's University women's soccer team, back in Kingston, the city where he played at OFSAA.

That role gives him a personal connection to his favourite NSL player: goalkeeper Kirstin Tynan, whom he coached and watched develop at Queen's. Tynan started her professional career with Vancouver Rise FC, winners of the NSL's inaugural championship in 2025, and joined Halifax Tides FC on loan in August 2026 for the rest of the season.

For Cameron, Tynan stands out as much for who she is as for how she plays. He calls her a role model in how she handles herself off the pitch.

What a professional women's league means for Canadian soccer

For Cameron, a professional women's league in Canada means opportunity: more recognition, funding, sponsorships, fans and supporters for talented athletes who already compete on the world stage.

It also means the countless hours put in by athletes, coaches, training and support staff, parents, guardians and fans have finally paid off, whether by giving players a place to play professionally at home or by building a path for the next generation of young women to go pro.

"It means a lot to me, having been involved in the development of female athletes at the university level for the last seven years, and having seen firsthand how important this is to those athletes day in and day out," Cameron says.

Who passed on your love of soccer?

Cameron's story shows how a single coach can shape a lifetime of soccer, from Timbits fields to a provincial title, a full-circle OFSAA win and a sideline at Queen's that now connects him to the professional game.

As a proud supporter of the Northern Super League, Westland Insurance is cheering on the athletes growing the game from coast to coast as the season builds to the NSL Final in November.

Learn more about Westland's partnership with the NSL.