Canada is set to make history in 2025 by launching its first professional women’s soccer league, featuring eight teams nationwide. The company, still unnamed, is the brainchild of former national team stars Diana Matheson and Christine Sinclair, who have teamed up with Project 8 Sports Inc., a company dedicated to developing women’s soccer in Canada.
The league aims to provide a platform for Canadian players to showcase their talent, compete at the highest level, and inspire the next generation of female soccer players and fans. Each team will have at least one Canadian international on its roster, and the goal is to bring home about half of the over 100 Canadians currently playing abroad.
Matheson and Sinclair announced the plans for the league on Monday, December 5, 2022, in an interview with The National’s Adrienne Arsenault. They said they were motivated by the lack of opportunities and pathways for women’s soccer in Canada, despite the success and popularity of the national team, which won bronze medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and a gold medal at the 2021 Olympics.
“I thought 2012 was going to be a turning point for this country in bringing professional soccer home,” Sinclair said. “But it never happened. And there’s still no pathways within this country.”
“And so, a decade later, Sinclair and Matheson took matters into their own hands.”
The league has secured two founding teams: Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Calgary Foothills Soccer Club. The Whitecaps are one of the most established and successful clubs in Canadian soccer history, having won multiple championships in various leagues and competitions. The Foothills are a grassroots club that has produced several national team players, including Matheson herself.
“Whitecaps FC are thrilled to be one of the first teams to sign on to a professional women’s soccer league in Canada,” said Stephanie Labbé, Whitecaps FC general manager of women’s soccer. “The creation of this league is something we have been advocating for over many years, and seeing it come to fruition is truly exciting.”
The league is also backed by major sponsors such as CIBC and Air Canada, as well as by Canada Soccer, the governing body of soccer in Canada. Canada Soccer president Dr. Nick Bontis said he supports the proposal for the launch of a women’s professional league in Canada and that it aligns with the organization’s strategic plan.
“This is excellent news for our sport nationally, and Canada Soccer is in support of the proposal for the launch of a women’s professional league in Canada,” Bontis said. “We are always open and willing to work with individuals and organizations that want to develop further the women’s game, which is a vitally important part of Canada Soccer’s Strategic Plan.”
The league is expected to kick off in April 2025, with an inaugural champion crowned sometime in the fall. The company will follow a single-table format, with each team playing each other twice, once at home and once away. The top four teams will advance to the playoffs, competing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the champion.
The league will also feature a salary cap, a draft system, and a minimum wage for players. The details of these aspects are still being finalized, but Matheson said they are designed to ensure parity and sustainability for the league.
“The whole idea behind this is to aim high. And, like, if you’re not, what’s the point?” Sinclair said. “So let’s go out from the get-go and compete with the best leagues in the world and bring in the top talent. And yeah, have 10-year-olds watching a game that ten years later is on the Whitecaps, for instance.”
The league hopes to attract Canadian players and fans and international ones. Matheson said they are looking to partner with other companies worldwide, such as the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States and the Women’s Super League (WSL) in England, to create more opportunities for cross-border competition and exposure.
“We’re making this product for everyone who believes in this dream,” Matheson said. “This League (will create) opportunities for Canadians, not just for players, but for fans, referees, coaches, and management. We’re here to grow the sport (and) to bring Canada’s first women’s sports league to life.”
Originally posted 2023-09-13 18:16:52.
