Ashley Cathro
FullnameAshley Madison Cathro
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Birth dateJanuary 19, 2000 (age 26)
Birth placeVictoria, British Columbia, Canada
PositionDefender
CurrentclubAFC Toronto
Clubnumber19
Youthyears 12015–2018
Youthclubs 1Whitecaps FC Girls Elite
Collegeyears 12018–2023
College 1Illinois Fighting Illini
Collegecaps 178
Collegegoals 10
Years 12018
Clubs 1TSS FC Rovers
Years 22019
Clubs 2Vancouver Island FC
Years 32021
Clubs 3San Antonio Athenians
Years 42022
Clubs 4Racing Louisville FC B
Caps 49
Goals 42
Years 52025–
Clubs 5AFC Toronto
Caps 518
Goals 50
Nationalyears 12016-2017
Nationalteam 1Canada U17
Nationalcaps 17
Nationalgoals 10
Nationalyears 22019
Nationalteam 2Canada U18
Nationalcaps 21
Nationalgoals 20
Nationalyears 32018-2021
Nationalteam 3Canada U20
Nationalcaps 34
Nationalgoals 30
PcupdateOctober 20, 2025
NtupdateJuly 9, 2019

Ashley Madison Cathro (born January 19, 2000) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League.

Early life

Cathro began playing soccer at Prospect Lake Soccer Club in Victoria, BC. She moved to Burnaby, BC to play youth soccer with the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite and was named the 2016 BC Soccer Youth Player of the Year.[1] In 2017, she played for Team British Columbia at the 2017 Canada Summer Games.[2] In 2018, she graduated from Burnaby Central Secondary School.

College career

In 2018, Cathro began attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she played for the women's soccer team.[3] On August 16, 2018, she made her collegiate debut, starting against the North Carolina Tar Heels.[4] At the end of her first season, she was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Freshman Team.[5] She redshirted the 2019 season, extending her eligibility another season.[1] She was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2019 to 2022) and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2019-20.[1] Cathro holds the program record for the most Big Ten starts.

In addition to her on-field accomplishments, Cathro earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology (minors in Chemistry and Business), a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology, and began a PhD in Community Health before turning pro. She is the first author on a peer-reviewed academic journal publication: Progress in physical activity research, policy, and surveillance in Canada: The global observatory for physical activity – GoPA![6]

Club career

Early career

In the Summer during the College offseason, Cathro played with TSS FC Rovers in the Women's Premier Soccer League.[7] In 2019, she joined Vancouver Island FC in the WPSL.[8]

In 2021, she played for the San Antonio Athenians in the UWS.

In 2022, Cathro played with Racing Louisville FC B in the USL W League.[9]

AFC Toronto

In January 2025, Cathro signed with Northern Super League club AFC Toronto.[10][11] She made her debut on May 1, 2025, against Calgary Wild FC.[12] In September 2025, Toronto won the first-ever Supporters’ Shield in league history after clinching a finish at the top of the NSL regular season league table.

International career

Cathro represented the Canada U17 and Canada U20 including at the 2016 CONCACAF FIFA Women's U17 Championship in Grenada and the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Jordan. [10] The 2016 Four-Nation Youth Tournament in China PR.

The 2017 U20 Three-Nations Tournament in Australia. The 2018 U20 CONCACAF Championship in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2019, she was selected for an international series at St. George's Park in Burton, England to face Northern Ireland and England.

In February 2017 and November 2021, she was called up to a pair of training camps and friendlies in Mexico with the Canada senior team, but did not make an appearance.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ "Ashley Cathro Illinois profile". Illinois Fighting Illini
  2. ^ "Eight Whitecaps FC Girls Elite REX players named to Team BC for 2017 Canada Games". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. July 14, 2017.
  3. ^ "Signed - Ashley Cathro". Illinois Fighting Illini. February 19, 2018.
  4. ^ "Illini Strike First in Season-Opening Loss to No. 6 North Carolina". Illinois Fighting Illini. August 16, 2018.
  5. ^ "Six Illini Honored by Big Ten Conference". Illinois Fighting Illini. October 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Cathro, Ashley; Spence, John C.; Cameron, Christine; Varela, Andrea Ramirez; Morales, Diana; Kohn, Eduardo Ribes; Pratt, Michael; Hallal, Pedro C. (2024-10-17). "Progress in physical activity research, policy, and surveillance in Canada: The global observatory for physical activity – GoPA!". BMC Public Health. 24 (1): 2866. doi:10.1186/s12889-024-20322-1. ISSN 1471-2458. PMC 11487859. PMID 39420310
  7. ^ McColl, Michael (April 4, 2018). "Canadian National Team players Jordyn Huitema and Julia Grosso headline first TSS Rovers WPSL roster". Away from the Numbers
  8. ^ Dheensaw, Cleve (May 17, 2019). "Vancouver Island FC takes first kick at Women's Premier Soccer League". Times Colonist
  9. ^ "Ashley Cathro USLWL Stats". USL W League
  10. ^ "Cathro, Barnett sign with AFC Toronto, bringing NSL team roster to 18". Toronto Star. January 30, 2025.
  11. ^ "AFC Toronto Signs Former Canadian Youth National Team Player Ashley Cathro". AFC Toronto. January 30, 2025.
  12. ^ Ko, Mathew (May 2, 2025). "Match report: AFC Toronto defeat Calgary Wild FC 2-1 to earn first win of the season". Total Soccer News
  13. ^ Dheensaw, Cleve (February 3, 2017). "Victoria's Cathro part of youth movement on Canadian women's soccer team". Times Colonist
  14. ^ Dheensaw, Cleve (November 30, 2021). "Victoria's Ashley Cathro on Canadian soccer roster for Mexico games". Times Colonist