2023 Female Player of the Year – Kyla Simon

United MVPs

Congratulations Player

2023 Female Player of the Year Kyla Simon

Kyla is a sophomore with a 4.68 GPA while taking four honors classes as a freshman. She was recognized by her high school as being in the top 5% of her class. As a sophomore, she has maintained her GPA, while taking on an International Baccalaureate (IB) class. The (IB) program is academically rigorous and internationally accredited. Outside of her love of soccer, she is an accomplished dancer who choreographed two dances for her class to perform.

While completing 49.5 hours of community service during her freshman year of high school, she took on leadership roles serving food at Paz de Cristo, packing food at Mountain Park Community Church, and Feed My Starving Children. As a Girl Scout, she participated in Babysitting/First Aid certification classes, iFly (indoor skydiving) experience, cookie sales, and volunteer opportunities. She self-funded a Girl Scout trip to Costa Rica in the summer of 2022 by excelling in the annual cookie sale three years in a row. She tried out for the school Badminton team and surprisingly made it even though she never played before.

This year, Kyla was one of just 30 girls in the Southeast Valley selected to participate in the exclusive ASPIRE program, led by local fire and police departments. The program is designed to motivate more females to pursue careers in emergency services.

She is also an avid reader. In 2023, she read 102 novels with her favorites being mysteries such as The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Mitford Murders. When not on the pitch, the dance floor or buried in a book, she also enjoys mountain biking and backpacking.

This year, Kyla set a goal to make her varsity high school team. She accomplished her goal and has been a consistent starter in multiple positions so far this season. As a freshman, her varsity coach selected her for the Kindred Award, a designation intended to highlight a player’s ability to bring teammates together.

“As a natural born leader, Kyla brings spirit, energy, and positivity to her United club team. She received the most votes from her peers to be selected as one of the team’s captains.” AYSO United 2008 Coach Nakita Buchanan.

“Kyla is another player that makes me proud of this club. She has been with the AYSO and AYSO United since she was 8 years old and has grown immensely as a player and a leader. To be so young and so accomplished, both on and off the pitch, is why we are so excited to select her as the 2023 Female Player of the Year for AYSO United in Arizona.” AYSO United Director of Coaching, Ed Alameda.