Kaila Novak
Canadian soccer player

Kaila Novak
Personal information
Full name Kaila Lillyanna Novak
Date of birth (2002-03-24) March 24, 2002 (age 23)
Place of birth London, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1]
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 AFC Toronto
Number 15
Youth career
St. Thomas SC
FC London
Ontario REX
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 UCLA Bruins
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 FC London 12 (8)
2024–2025 Durham 18 (1)
2025– AFC Toronto 1 (0)
International career‡
2017–2018 Canada U17 14 (2)
2020–2022 Canada U20 14 (5)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of October 7, 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of August 17, 2022

Kaila Lillyanna "Kai" Novak (born March 24, 2002) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League.

Early life

Novak began playing youth soccer at age four with St. Thomas SC.[2] She later played with FC London.[3] She later joined the Ontario REX program.[4]

College career

In 2020, Novak began attending the University of California, Los Angeles, where she played for the women's soccer team.[1] On March 26, 2021, she scored her first collegiate goal in a 2-1 loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils.[5] After her first season, she was named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman Team.[6] She was named to the Academic Honour Roll for both her seasons.[1] She opted out of playing soccer for her senior season.[7]

Club career

In 2016, she began playing with FC London in League1 Ontario.

In August 2024, Novak signed with English club Durham in the Women's Championship.[8][9] She scored her first goal against the Blackburn Rovers.[10] She departed the club following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, having scored 3 goals across 24 appearances for the club.[11] Following her departure from Durham, she spent time training with London City Lionesses, Crystal Palace FC, and Angel City FC,[12] also playing in the 7v7 The Soccer Tournament 2025 with Angel City 7s in 2025.[13]

In September 2025, she signed with Northern Super League club AFC Toronto.[12] She made her first start for the club in a 2-1 win over Calgary Wild FC on October 4, 2025, providing the assist for Toronto's first goal, and receiving a red card in the 62nd minute.[14] On January 15, 2026, it was announced that she had signed a contract extension to keep her with Toronto through 2026.[15]

International career

Novak was born in Canada, to a Czech father and an English mother.[16]

In June 2017, she was called up to the Canadian national program for the first time, for a camp with the Canada U17 team.[2] The following month, she was named to the roster for a Four Nations tournament in China, where she appeared in all three matches .[17] In April 2018, she was named to the roster for the 2018 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship.[18] She scored two goals in the first match in a 3-0 victory over Bermuda U17. However, after the first two matches of the tournament, the tournament was suspended due to riots in Nicaragua,[19][20] with her later returning to the squad for the remainder of the tournament in June in the United States, ultimately winning a bronze medal.[21][2] Afterwards, she played with the squad at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.[22]

In July 2019, Novak was named to the Canada U20 team for a series of three friendly matches in England.[23] She was then named to the roster for the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship (winning bronze) and the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[2]

Personal life

In 2020, Novak began posting videos on TikTok, during the COVID-19 pandemic while at UCLA reviewing food.[7][24] She quickly amassed over a million followers.[25][26] She became the 2nd most followed female soccer athlete on the app.[27]

Career statistics

As of October 20, 2025
Club Season League Playoffs Domestic Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FC London 2016[28] League1 Ontario 2 1 — — 0 0 2 1
2017[29] 10 7 — — ? 1 11+ 8
Total 12 8 0 0 0 0 1+ 1 13+ 9
Durham 2024–25 Women's Championship 18 1 — 2 0 4 2 24 3
AFC Toronto 2025 Northern Super League 1 0 0 0 – – 1 0
Career total 31 9 0 0 2 0 5+ 3 38+ 12

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kaila Novak UCLA profile". UCLA Bruins.
  2. ^ a b c d Kaila Novak at Canada Soccer
  3. ^ Dalla Costa, Morris (September 28, 2017). "Women's soccer: FC London player Kaila Novak, 15, has sights set on international play". London Free Press.
  4. ^ "Ontario REX Program narrowly defeats League1 Ontario Young Stars". Ontario Soccer Association. July 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "UCLA Suffers First Loss, 2-1 to ASU in Overtime". UCLA Bruins. March 26, 2021.
  6. ^ "UCLA Leads Pac in Year-End Awards". UCLA Bruins. April 21, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Walsh, Lara (December 11, 2023). "UCLA's Kai Novak Is Dominating Your FYP & The Soccer Field". Elite Daily.
  8. ^ "Durham Women sign Canadian forward Kaila Novak". Durham W.F.C. August 22, 2024.
  9. ^ "Durham sign Canadian youth international attacker Novak". FASL Full Time. August 22, 2024.
  10. ^ "Kaila Novak discusses her first three months at Durham". Durham W.F.C. November 6, 2024.
  11. ^ "Durham Women – 2024/25 Player Departures". Durham Women FC. June 26, 2025. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Kaila Novak Signs with AFC Toronto Following Stint in England". AFC Toronto. September 4, 2025.
  13. ^ "Angel City 7s Set to Compete at 2025 The Soccer Tournament". angelcity.com. April 22, 2025. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  14. ^ "Match Recap: AFC Toronto Riding Six-Game Unbeaten Streak with 2-1 Win Over Calgary Wild FC | 10/04". AFC Toronto. October 4, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  15. ^ "AFC Toronto Confirms Additional Roster Updates for 2026 Season". AFC Toronto. January 15, 2026. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  16. ^ Belsky, Rachel (July 14, 2022). "Kaila Novak: Playing for Canada, UCLA, and Being a TikTok Star". Girls Soccer Network.
  17. ^ Stubbs, Mike (September 27, 2017). "Another step up the soccer ladder for St. Thomas native, Kaila Novak". Global News.
  18. ^ "St. Thomas teen headed to U17 CONCACAF soccer tournament". London Free Press. April 5, 2018.
  19. ^ Dalla Costa, Morris (April 23, 2018). "Local soccer star safe after Nicaragua riots cancel tournament". London Free Press.
  20. ^ Dalla Costa, Morris (April 25, 2018). "Novak back from CONCACAF adventure". London Free Press.
  21. ^ Dalla Costa, Morris (June 1, 2018). "Novak heading to Florida to complete U17 CONCACAF play". London Free Press.
  22. ^ "A Lifelong Family". Goal Click.
  23. ^ Pyette, Ryan (July 8, 2019). "Local star Kaila Novak joins Canada roster for U-20 soccer tuneup". London Free Press.
  24. ^ Leon, Calvi (June 8, 2021). "'Let's go': St. Thomas soccer star dishes on diet to 948K TikTok followers". London Free Press.
  25. ^ Fenn, Jay (September 18, 2021). "Kaila Novak inspires many with her joy, messages of body positivity on TikTok". The Daily Bruin.
  26. ^ "Curated: Kai Novak". Schön! Magazine.
  27. ^ "Kaila Novak: TikTok Star, Professional soccer forward, Activity". A&A Management Group.
  28. ^ "Kaila Novak 2016 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  29. ^ "Kaila Novak 2017 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
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