Syd Kennedy is just getting started
There is a large banner strung across the wall of the Halifax Tides' boardroom, the colours, emblazoned with the promise that the Tides are turning, mirroring the depths of the ocean. Just to the right of the banner is a framed goalkeeper's kit. It is Erin McLeod's, the club's first signing, and there's a message of thanks scribbled across the top. Between these two pieces — her club and a memento to one of her mentors — sits Syd Kennedy.
The tableau could be considered campy. But the gratitude with which Kennedy speaks about living her dream as a professional footballer in her home province makes everything feel right. Kennedy says she still feels lucky everyday to play for the Tides because growing up, a pathway to a professional career in Canada didn't exist.
And a lot has changed for Kennedy since last year, too. Leading up to the Tides inaugural season, she was still balancing a full-time office job while preparing for training camp. This time around, her sole focus is on helping her club improve.
"We want to be in playoff contention, we want to have a playoff game here, we want to have things that the fans can get super excited about," Kennedy tells HFX Football Post.
"I said this to (Tides teammate) Annika Leslie: 'I want to be playing in the snow next year.' I don't want to be done on October 15. I want it to be a blizzard and I want it to be us on the field."
Josh Healey
It's important to note that the Tides fell short on the pitch last year. They struggled to score, struggled to defend and ultimately, struggled to put points on the board. They finished last on the NSL table. But Kennedy, and the Tides, are just getting started as they look to build on the foundation laid in 2025.
"We've got a year under our belts now," she says, adding she learned a lot working towards her first professional goal, which she scored in October.
"As a forward, and someone who wants to make things happen, to have stats and assists and goals, the more games you go without seeing that happen, it starts to become top of mind all the time. Whether it's a goal or an assist, getting on the stats sheet in some way, when it takes that long, it starts to be like in hockey where you're gripping the stick too tight.
"I more confident as a (football) player now. I think, with a year under my belt, I saw what I could do and the impact I can make."
Kennedy was one of several Nova Scotians on the Tides inaugural roster, which comes with its own expectations. A speedy winger with a knack for dribbling, she says she also felt the pressure to score as the club won only one match out of their first eight. But she says she learned to navigate the highs and lows of professional football and, be it on or off the pitch, is looking to emerge as a leader for the Tides.
Kennedy credits both McLeod and Gunnhildur "Gunny" Yrsa Jónsdóttir as mentors as she's evolved.
"As a first-year pro, there's a lot of things I was trying to get a feel for. I was so thankful to be trusted with that but it came with a lot of advice from Gunny and Erin and a lot of calls and voice messages and heart-to-hearts. It was just amazing to learn from them all season," she says.
When asked if she expected to wear the armband at times this season, Kennedy directed the line of questioning towards head coach Stephen Hart but added she'd be happy to step up.
"Whether it's a role like that, if you're named a captain or whatever it may be, there's so many different ways to demonstrate leadership. So, whether it's official or not, I'm still going to be trying to learn from everyone around me and leaning on everyone around me and lead the best way I can," said Kennedy.
Josh Healey
Aside from her own pre-season work (her commitment demonstrated in things like a 5:00 a.m. training session on Christmas Day), Kennedy adds Hart's structure will go far in helping the Tides get off to a better start, calling him a pillar of what they're trying to do. The proof, of course, will be on the pitch.
"From day one, when he got here, he set standards and it'll be nice to have those standards carry through the next season," she says. "I love Stephen, I love playing for him."
The Tides' training camp begins in earnest on February 16, with players reporting for medicals this week. From there, things will ramp up in pre-season, with the Tides set to open their account at the Wanderers Grounds on April 25 versus Ottawa Rapid. It'll be a fresh start for both the Tides and Kennedy as they look to showcase what they can do.
The expectations, to say the least, are high.
“We are going to be, despite last season, going for a championship. There’s no: ‘Oh, we just finished bottom.’ There’s big goals," says Kennedy.
But there's little doubt, wherever the tides of football take them, that Kennedy will play a larger role for her club this year. She's put in the work. She is, in many ways, just getting started.
Cover Photo Credit: Halifax Tides FC
