Your Guide to the Northern Super League
- karinnaleonard
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
April 16th, 2025 marked the inaugural match of the Northern Super League. 14,018 fans gathered in BC Place to watch the Vancouver Rise take on the Calgary Wild. A momentous moment—the game was more than just the start of a season. It marked the beginning of a new era, as a professional women's soccer league was established on Canadian soil for the first time.
The launch of the NSL was the culmination of a dream that was announced back in 2022. Canadian hero Diana Matheson and her business partner, Thomas Gilbert, founded Project 8 Sports Inc. with the goal of bringing a women's league to Canada by 2025. Two of their founding partners were the Calgary Foothills and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Both teams had long been involved in women's soccer and shared a desire to see the game grow. As the Whitecaps put it, "The missing piece has been a top-level professional women’s team. We are excited to be a founding member of a domestic women’s professional league in Canada."
The Project 8 team expanded on this vision by saying, "We’re making this product for everyone who believes in this dream. 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.” Today, the Northern Super League is joined by the Professional Women's Hockey League, which now has four teams in Canada, and the upcoming Toronto Tempo of the WNBA. The growth of these leagues reflects a greater investment in women's professional sports across the country. When Project 8 made its announcement in 2022, none of these other teams existed, which made their vision even more groundbreaking.
What started as a dream has now become a reality, with six teams taking to the pitch for the inaugural season. Spread across the country, they are the Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, AFC Toronto, and Vancouver Rise FC. The league features a 25-game regular season running from April to November, with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs. The semifinals will be played over two legs, with each team hosting one match at home. Using aggregate scoring, the team that scores the most goals across both games will advance to the championship. This year's final match will be held on November 15th at BMO Field in Toronto. After a long season of battling for points, one team will claim the first Northern Super League Championship.
Calgary Wild FC
Though Calgary was part of the founding group, the team struggled this season and has been eliminated from the playoffs. They finished with a record of 9 wins, 2 draws, and 14 losses. Despite their challengers on the pitch, the club has lived up to their slogan: "We are bold, we are brave, and we are catalysts of change." While you always want to be competitive and aim to win, Calgary's season is still a success in its own right. Every player, staff member, and fan can proudly say they were an integral part of this groundbreaking movement for Canadian women's professional soccer.
Halifax Tides FC
This Eastern team found themselves at the bottom of the standings with 3 wins, 7 draws, and 15 losses, but they made their mark by focusing on women's health on and off the pitch. They partnered with the IWK Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports IWK Health, which is the largest pediatric hospital and trauma centre in Atlantic Canada. Assistant coach Katie Barrott explained why this work is foundational to the growth of women's professional sports: “When you see women and gender-diverse people out there leading and enjoying the game, it plants a seed of possibility. It tells them this space is for them too. The more visible those role models are, the more our game grows – not just in numbers, but in belief. That’s what will shape the next generation.” As Barrott noted, Halifax's first season was a success because they created a space for change and helped lay the foundation for the next generation of female athletes.
Montreal Roses FC
After a season of 10 wins, 6 draws, and 9 losses, Montreal clinched their spot in the playoffs on September 18th. They enter the postseason holding the league's record for lowest goals against, having allowed just 23 goals all season. The foundation of the Roses team was built on courage, integrity, diversity, and community. Stepping into this season, they embraced the message: "We're the face of a new kind of sports excellence—one that's more vibrant, more inviting, more authentic." With a solid season on and off the field, Montreal enters the playoffs ready to carve out their place in history.
Ottawa Rapid FC
Ottawa finished with an 11-6-8 record and will take on the Vancouver Rise in the semifinal. The CEO of the Rapid is Thomas Gilbert, who was a co-founder of Project 8. His mission is to always have a fan-first mentality, which has helped cement the team as a focal point in Ottawa. Gilbert is supported by a talented staff that includes technical director Kristina Kiss. Kiss is a former midfielder who tallied 75 caps with Team Canada before retiring in 2009. Her experience and brilliant leadership have been instrumental in shaping the culture and competitiveness of the Rapid. With a roaring fanbase behind them and a solid leadership core, Ottawa enters the playoffs ready to show Canada what they're made of.
AFC Toronto
The first team to clinch a playoff spot, Toronto came out strong and never let up. They finished with a record of 16 wins, 3 draws, and 6 losses, claiming both the most goals scored (42) and the highest goal differential (+18). The team boasts a special section of supporters known as the Vermilion Vanguard. Every home game, they occupy Section 100 of York Lions Stadium, and for every away match, they gather together at Something in the Water Brewery. As one member explained, "Beyond matchdays, we're building more than a supporter's section—we're building a community." The Vermilion Vanguard are a testament to the power the Northern Super League has in building spirited connections across Canada. As the top seed, AFC Toronto enters the playoffs as a dominant force, shaped by the passion and support of their community.
Vancouver Rise FC
The last team to clinch the playoffs, Vancouver has quickly risen back up to the top with a final record of 11-6-8 to claim the number three spot. As one of the founding teams, Vancouver is deeply committed to growing women's soccer in their own backyard. Hometown hero Christine Sinclair helped make this possible by joining the club's ownership group on October 7th, 2024. No stranger to professional soccer, Sinclair is a true legend of the game. She holds the record for all-time leading goal scorer in international soccer—across both men's and women's teams—with 190 goals in 322 games. For context, the top men's goal scorer in international soccer is Cristiano Ronaldo with 143 goals. Her mammoth contributions to the game have inspired a generation of players and fans, cementing the Rise as a flagship club in professional soccer. Sinclair shared her passion for the sport and the creation of the NSL, saying, “Growing up in Burnaby, I would have never imagined becoming an owner of a professional women’s soccer club in my hometown. I want every little girl in British Columbia and Canada to be inspired to play or coach or manage - see the opportunity for women in sport." With the leadership and determination of Sinclair boosting them, Vancouver is competing not only for a championship but also to shape the future of professional soccer in Canada.
After a remarkable first year, the Northern Super League has already made history across Canada and around the World. As the league continues to grow the game, one of its most inspiring accomplishments is setting a minimum salary of $50,000. In comparison, the minimum salary for the top women's league in Spain is around $25,000, while in Italy it is below $40,000. Even the NWSL had a minimum salary of $48,500 this past season. The Northern Super League has not only given women a place to play at home, it has also set a new standard for fair compensation for all female athletes. Each of the six clubs has played a vital role in shaping this inaugural season, and regardless of who wins the final match, every team, every player, and every fan has been victorious in making this moment possible.
Edited by: Kelly Cassette
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