Soccer: Cassi Tuson talks life as president of Koutingal Kougars

The 29-year-old had gone in to the meeting thinking it would be the same as any other, and that she would likely retain her role as secretary.

Instead, she left as president of the club.

"If it was a conspiracy [to make her president], I knew nothing about it prior," Tuson joked.

"It definitely threw me, I remember walking out of the meeting thinking: 'What just happened?'"

Though Tuson had always intended to keep rising through the ranks of the committee, she had no idea her elevation to the top job would come just a few years into her time as an administrator.

Leading the club then became another in a long list of duties Tuson carries out on a day-to-day basis.

She is also a mother of two, works full-time, trains both of the Kougars' women's teams, and plays in their first grade team as well.

"I'm glad there's 24 hours in a day, I think I utilize every single one of them," Tuson said.

"It's actually easier than it may seem. A lot of hours a week do go into the soccer scene, between coaching and playing on the weekends and running the ship, but it's a barrel of fun.

"It doesn't seem like hard work when you enjoy it."

There is no denying that Tuson relishes being a part of the club. Her husband, Kane, is the senior men's representative for the Kougars and plays for them, while her son, Izaac, also dons the purple on weekends.

But, as the trainer for both of the women's teams, Tuson has been under the pump in recent weeks.

A spate of injuries has left the Kougars women understaffed, and their bright start to the season has since dimmed.

Ahead of their clash against North Companions Black this weekend, Tuson expects a "tough" game.

"We definitely anticipate this game to be a challenge," she said.

"We'll be short on players every game between now and the end of the season, so we're relying on juniors to step up where they can."

But the challenge ahead does not curb Tuson's enthusiasm for the job - she is hungry to take it on.

And as a woman at the helm of a club, particularly in the male-dominated world of sport, Tuson hopes she can inspire more young women to follow her lead.

"Being able to step into the sporting world, which isn't predominantly seen as a female industry, is definitely something I see as an achievement for myself but also for women moving forward," she said.

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