Ashley Madison Cathro (born January 19, 2000) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League.
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. In 2017, she played for Team British Columbia at the 2017 Canada Summer Games. In 2018, She graduated from Burnaby Central Secondary School.
In 2018, Cathro began attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she played for the women's soccer team. On August 16, 2018, she made her collegiate debut, starting against the North Carolina Tar Heels. At the end of her first season, she was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Freshman Team. She redshirted the 2019 season, extending her eligibility another season. She was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2019 to 2022) and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2019-20. 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 MasterâÂÂs 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 â GoPA!
In the Summer during the College offseason, Cathro played with TSS FC Rovers in the Women's Premier Soccer League. In 2019, she joined Vancouver Island FC in the WPSL.
In 2021, she played for the San Antonio Athenians in the UWS, helping the team win the Southwest Conference and qualify for the UWS National Championship.
In 2022, Cathro played with Racing Louisville FC B in the USL W League. Where she appeared in 9 matches, scored 2 goals, and recorded 3 assists. She also participated in training with RacingâÂÂs NWSL first team and featured in a friendly match.
In January 2025, Cathro signed with Northern Super League club AFC Toronto. She made her debut on May 1, 2025, against Calgary Wild FC. In her first professional season with AFC Toronto, Cathro made 18 appearances as a dependable defender, helping anchor the back line and contributed 1 assist in league play. In September 2025, Toronto won the first-ever Supportersâ Shield in league history after clinching a finish at the top of the NSL regular season league table. Her consistency and defensive presence were integral to TorontoâÂÂs run to the NSL Finals in their inaugural season.
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. 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.
Cathro, has been in a relationship with Burnaby Firefighter Alan Camacho.