Anja Heiner-Moller has made a conscious habit of saying ‘yes’ to opportunities throughout her long football career.
Now, the Danish coach is taking on a big task as he becomes the first head coach of Vancouver Rise FC and is creating opportunities for others in the process.
“This is about the opportunity to create role models and leaders,” Heiner-Moller said during a video call Thursday. “So we have a tremendous opportunity with this team to inspire a lot of girls, boys and youth in Vancouver, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Heiner-Moller, 46, joins the Northern Super League club two years after taking charge of the Denmark U-19 women’s national team.
Despite the nine-hour time difference between Denmark and Vancouver, she has been closely following the development of Canada’s first professional women’s league over the past three years.
“It’s really big for Canada to have this league,” she said. “I feel happy that these girls have a women’s team to look up to.”
Heiner-Moller knows what it’s like to have limited options as a player.
She played over 250 games for Danish clubs Brondby IF, Odense Boldklub and Hillerod G & I, and represented Denmark in 44 national team caps before having to choose between football and studies in her mid-20s.
“I jumped right into coaching and haven’t quit since,” said the UEFA professional-qualified coach, who also holds a master’s degree in sports science.
mother of two daughters
Before taking charge of Denmark’s U-19 team, Heiner-Moller coached in the Danish Women’s League. She also spent three years as an academy coach with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and North Shore Girls Soccer Club from 2018 to 2020, when her husband Kenneth Heiner-Moller was the head coach of the Canadian women’s team.
Anja Heiner-Moller said the Heiner-Moller family, who have two teenage daughters, have wanted to return to Vancouver for a long time.
“The people are open-minded, it’s multicultural, and people are treated with respect,” she said. “I love the mountains, I love being outdoors. There’s the ocean and the forests. I don’t know what you don’t have, really.”
But there will be a lot of flying in the family’s future. Earlier this month, it was announced that Kenneth Heiner-Moller had been appointed technical director of Major League Soccer’s San Diego FC ahead of the expansion club’s first season.
“We had to make big decisions at the same time and decided that this was two careers. We didn’t want to turn down any of these opportunities,” said Anja Heiner-Moller. “We did that because we wanted to say two yeses.”
Stephanie Labbé, Sports Director at Rise, was delighted.
She said the club had “a lot of interest” in the manager’s job and Heiner-Moller was a candidate who quickly stood out.
(We loved it) Anja’s personality and her passion for helping athletes not only grow as athletes, but as individuals and human beings.— Rise Sports Director Stephanie Labbe explains new head coach Anja Heiner-Moller.
“From our first interview with Anja, we could see that our vision and goals aligned well with her style of play,” said Labbé.
Heiner-Moller’s plan for a possession-based, attack-focused team matches what Rise wants, she added. The club also liked the tactical knowledge and attention to detail she brought, and the way she spoke about working with young players.
“(We) loved Anja’s personality and her passion for helping athletes not only grow as athletes, but as individuals and human beings,” Labbé said.
With just a few months left until the first NSL kicks off in April 2025, Labbé, Heiner-Moller and the rest of the club still have a lot of work to do.
Labbé said he has been working to build the roster for several months, saying more announcements about team additions will be coming soon.
Rise wants to sign top quality players to build a team that can compete not only in the NSL but also in tournaments such as the CONCACAF Champions Cup, she said.
“Above all, we are trying to bring players with professional experience,” said the sporting director. “I think it’s key to make sure you have leaders in the locker room and make sure you have players who have been through pro seasons and pro seasons, who can bring professionalism and help teach as well.”
Heiner-Moller does not give up on the challenges ahead.
“Women’s football is growing so quickly. It’s crazy to look back and see how far it has come over the last few years,” she said. “I am delighted that the under-19s I am coaching are growing in value as footballers, and all opportunities are available to them.”
