Northern Super League: A new era for Canadian women’s Soccer

By Maggie Hsu, October 7 2024—

As Canadian Women’s Sports Month celebrates the achievements of female athletes, the launch of the Northern Super League (NSL) marks a groundbreaking moment for women’s soccer in Canada. This new professional women’s soccer league not only expands the country’s sporting landscape but also provides opportunities for athletes to display their talents domestically, elevating their presences to a national level and fostering greater expansion for the future of soccer in Canada.

The main driver in the creation of the NSL is former Canadian national team player Diana Matheson. A trailblazer in her own right, Matheson is best known for scoring the bronze medal-winning goal for Canada at the 2012 London Olympics — a key moment for many Canadians in celebrating the surge in success in a sport outside of hockey — but her contributions to Canadian soccer extend beyond her on-field success. After announcing her retirement from playing, Matheson shifted her focus towards growing the women’s game in Canada, advocating for a national domestic league to provide opportunities for Canadian female players to compete with their peers at the highest calibre. 

Prior to the inception of this league, Canadian players looking to pursue professional soccer were forced to play abroad or play in semi-professional environments that lacked the financial and organizational stability to develop. This stunted the growth of the talent pool of Canadian players such that they could not excel at the level they would’ve been capable of had more opportunities to grow Canadian talent in Canada been available. Previous ventures like the Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPSL) never gained the traction nor investment needed to thrive.

Thanks to the international success of the national women’s team with players like Christine Sinclair, Stephanie Labbe, Quinn, Kadeisha Buchanan and rising stars Jordyn Huitema and Julia Grosso becoming household names, interest in the sport itself has grown exponentially over the past decade with soccer being reported as the most popular sport amongst Canadian kids.

However, despite this surge in popularity, Canada lacked a top-tier domestic league where homegrown talent could compete professionally. While the men’s Canadian Premier League (CPL) helped bridge that gap for male athletes, the Northern Super League is the long-awaited counterpart for female athletes, offering them a platform to develop, compete and be recognized at the national level. With the formation of the NSL, up and coming stars like Huitema and Grosso have the option to showcase their talent at home. This will help retain and develop more players within Canada, offering a professional pathway for aspiring athletes without the need to leave home.

The Teams

The Northern Super League will debut with six teams, representing key Canadian cities from coast-to-coast, each embodying the local identity and passion for soccer. From Vancouver to Halifax, these teams aren’t just competing on the field; they are building a movement, energizing communities, and providing young female athletes with hometown heroes to look up to. 

And yes, Calgary will have a team. 

“Calgary is such a great sporting city, and we have so so many young girls who play soccer. Having a team in a league present in our city just allows them to continue to dream. When you can see it, it’s so much easier to believe that you can be there too.” said Wild FC Marketing Director, Kelly McGuire, to the NSL.

Calgary Wild FC and the other inaugural teams of the NSL carry the legacy that this is more than just a sports league. This is more than wanting to get paid — It’s a statement. It’s about creating advancements towards gender equality and platforms for diverse voices to be amplified. 

“One of the things is having more diversity to begin with — more women, diverse voices to begin with, more players voices to begin with. And that’s top to bottom. I want women owners, women in the executive, women’s player voices as part of this,” Matheson said in a 2022 interview with CBC during the first conception of the league

As we celebrate the strides made in women’s sports this month, the Northern Super League stands as a testament to the strength in women and the ability to create progress and build a legacy that will inspire future generations of Canadian athletes.

“The three things I would tell 10-year-old Diana is, one: get a better haircut. Two; eventually they will make jerseys that fit you. And lastly,  if there’s something you want to do and you feel like you’re the right person for the job, go do it. There are a lot of stats out there that women don’t always do that, but if not you, then who, if not now, than when?”

The NSL continues to work for an April 2025 kick-off with season ticket deposits happening right now, starting at just $50 a seat. Will you be there?