Northern Super League

Professional women's soccer league in Canada

Football league

* Northern Super League
* Super Ligue du Nord

First season| 2025
Country| Canada
Confederation| CONCACAF (North America)
Number of clubs| 6
Level on pyramid| 1
International cup(s)| CONCACAF W Champions Cup
TV partners| TSN, RDS (French)
CBC, Radio-Canada (French)
ESPN (United States)
Website| https://www.nsl.ca/
Current: 2025 Northern Super League season

The Northern Super League (NSL; French: Super Ligue du Nord-SLN) is a planned top-division professional women's soccer league in Canada. The league is owned and operated by Project 8 Sports, Inc., an entity co-founded by former Canada women's national soccer team player Diana Matheson.

The league is scheduled to begin play in April 2025 and will consist of six teams: Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC, AFC Toronto, Calgary Wild FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, and Vancouver Rise FC.

## History

[edit]

Former Canadian national team player Diana Matheson co-founded Project 8 Sports, Inc., in June 2022 and led it from its launch

Upon her retirement from professional soccer in July 2021, Matheson began advocating for both a national domestic women's league and National Women's Soccer League team in Canada.[1] Her early plans specified a six-month professional league with player leadership, and cited her experience with the Ottawa Fury and Vancouver Whitecaps of the defunct USL W-League as examples of what Canada lacked in player development opportunities.[2] Matheson entered Queen's University at Kingston to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree in August 2021,[1] and enrolled in the UEFA Executive Master for International Players program toward sports administration.[3]

In December 2021, Matheson presented a plan for women's soccer in Canada to the Canadian Soccer Association, but discussions did not progress. While attending Queen's, Matheson co-founded Project 8 Sports, Inc., in June 2022 with master's classmate Thomas Gilbert and began planning a professional domestic women's soccer league. Matheson formally announced the league – known provisionally as Project 8 – on December 5, 2022, on The National alongside former national-team teammate Christine Sinclair, who advised the group. The announcement included the league's first two teams in the Whitecaps and Calgary Foothills WFC, and first two sponsors in CIBC and Air Canada. She also announced talks with Toronto FC owners Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and CF Montreal, both of Major League Soccer, and a target of May 2024 for sanctioning from Canada Soccer.[3] Matheson named Dome Productions as the league's initial broadcast production partner.[4]

In January 2023, Matheson noted that talks had also included independent and foreign ownership groups, and announced franchise fees of $1 million with an expectation of owners investing $10 million total over the first five seasons,[5] with entry including equity in the league itself.[6] She also detailed limits on foreign players to seven per team, and suggested that the new league would not deal with Canada Soccer Business, the entity that owns broadcast rights to the Canadian Premier League men's soccer competition.[5]

On April 26, 2023, Project 8 announced the league's third team, AFC Toronto City, with an independent ownership group composed of people on the board of North Toronto Soccer Club (NTSC) competing in League1 Ontario, though the Project 8 team would not be formally affiliated with the NTSC organization. The initial announcement did not include participation from Toronto FC or MLSE.[7] In May, Project 8 was recognized as a "league in membership" by the Canadian Soccer Association.[8]

On May 28, 2024, the official logo and name for the league were revealed as the Northern Super League, along with the announcement that teams from both Montreal and Ottawa would also join the league for the 2025 inaugural season.[9][10] On May 30, the name and logo of Calgary Wild FC was unveiled.[11][12] On June 13, the name and logo of Halifax Tides FC was announced.[13] On August 15, the name and logo of Ottawa Rapid FC was unveiled.[14][15] On August 26, the name and logo of Vancouver Rise FC was unveiled.[16] On October 8, the name and logo of Montreal Roses FC was unveiled.[17]

On July 8, former CFL and Woodbine Entertainment Group executive Christina Litz was announced as the league's president with Matheson moving into the role of chief growth officer.[18]

## Teams

[edit]

On April 4, 2024, the league confirmed that six clubs had submitted applications to the CSA to get professional status.[19]

Team  | City  | Stadium | Capacity  | Joining  | Head coach  | Ownership  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Calgary Wild FC | Calgary, Alberta |

McMahon Stadium

35,400

2025

|  Lydia Bedford | Calgary Foothills FC | [12]
Halifax Tides FC | Halifax, Nova Scotia |

Wanderers Grounds

6,500

2025

|  Lewis Page |

Courtney Sherlock (CEO)

| [13]
Montreal Roses FC | Laval, Quebec |

Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne

5,581

2025

|  Robert Rositoiu |

* Isabele Chevalier
* Jean-François Crevier

| [20]
Ottawa Rapid FC | Ottawa, Ontario |

TD Place Stadium

24,000

2025

|  Katrine Pedersen | Diana Matheson
Tom Gilbert  | [9][21]
AFC Toronto | Toronto, Ontario |

York Lions Stadium

4,000

2025

|  Marko Milanović |

* Helena Ruken (CEO)
* Brenda Ha (COO)
* Jill Burgin (CMO)
* Mike Ruthard
* Billy Wilson
* Shamez Mangalji

| [22]
Vancouver Rise FC | Burnaby, British Columbia |

Swangard Stadium

4,500[23]

2025

|  Anja Heiner-Møller |

* Greg Kerfoot (majority)
* Christine Sinclair

| [24]

### Location map

[edit]

Vancouver Rise FC

Calgary Wild FC

AFC Toronto

Halifax
Tides FC

Roses FC

Ottawa Rapid FC

class=notpageimage|

Announced club

## Broadcasting

[edit]

On June 11, 2024, the NSL announced multi-year deals with CBC, Radio-Canada, TSN and RDS.[25][26][27]

On April 7, 2024, the NSL entered the U.S through a new, multi-year media partnership with ESPN. ESPN+, will stream 40+ matches including select playoff games and the Final.[28]

## See also

[edit]

* Women's association football portal
* Association football portal
* Sports portal

* Prominent women's sports leagues in the United States and Canada
* List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
* Women's soccer in Canada
* Women's professional sports

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Canadian Diana Matheson retires, looks forward to post-soccer challenges". SportsNet. The Canadian Press. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
2. ^ Yang, Steph (July 8, 2021). "Diana Matheson has big plans for Canadian soccer after announcing the end to her playing career". The Athletic. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
3. ^ a b Molinaro, John (December 7, 2022). "Matheson again at the forefront in big moment for Canadian women's soccer". SportsNet. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
4. ^ Matheson, Diana (December 7, 2022). "Diana Matheson on the revenue, investment and stadium prospects for new Canadian women's league" (Interview). Interviewed by Joshua Kloke and Steph Yang. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
5. ^ a b "Matheson says support growing for proposed Canadian women's soccer league". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Canadian Press. January 13, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
6. ^ Davidson, Neil (July 17, 2023). "Matheson hopes World Cup further raises profile of women's game, boosts new Canadian league". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Canadian Press. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
7. ^ Davidson, Neil (April 26, 2023). "Canadian women's pro soccer league signs on AFC Toronto City". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
8. ^ "Historic Day for Canadian soccer as Charmaine Crooks elected President and Project 8 approved as League in Membership". Canada Soccer. May 6, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
9. ^ a b Jacques, John (May 28, 2024). "Meet The Northern Super League". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
10. ^ Dunlop, Brendan (May 28, 2024). "Project 8 unveils Northern Super League, Montréal & Ottawa round out 6 founding NSL clubs". Canadian Soccer Daily. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
11. ^ Ellis, Brendon (May 30, 2024). "Calgary Wild FC unveiled as city's first professional women's soccer club". CTV News. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
12. ^ a b Jacques, John (May 30, 2024). "Everything We Know About All Six NSL Launch Teams". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
13. ^ a b Jacques, John (June 13, 2024). "Northern Super League: Halifax Tides Makes A Splash". Northern Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
14. ^ "Ottawa Rapid FC unveiled as name of city's new pro women's soccer team". CBC News. August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
15. ^ Comtois, Martin (August 15, 2024). "Le CF Rapide Ottawa voit le jour et promet un " coup d'éclat "" [CF Rapide Ottawa is born and promises a 'coup d'éclat']. Radio-Canada Info (in French). Retrieved August 16, 2024.
16. ^ "Vancouver Rise FC launch as Northern Super League's latest club brand". Canadian Soccer Daily. August 26, 2024. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
17. ^ https://www.townandcountrytoday.com/quebec-news/roses-fc-unveiled-as-montreals-northern-super-league-franchise-9632351
18. ^ Davidson, Neil (July 8, 2024). "Former CFL executive Christina Litz named Northern Super League president". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
19. ^ "Project 8 Hits Major Milestone as Six Clubs Submit for Canada Soccer Membership | Vancouver Whitecaps FC". Whitecaps FC. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
20. ^ Jacques, John (May 28, 2024). "Women's Pro Soccer To Plant Flag In Montreal". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
21. ^ "NSL co-founder Diana Matheson likes what she sees as new women's league countdown to kickoff hits 100 days". CBC Sports. January 6, 2025.
22. ^ Ngabo, Gilbert (June 3, 2024). "Toronto's pro women's soccer team unveils its crest, with kickoff set for next year". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
23. ^ "Swangard Stadium". January 15, 2025. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
24. ^ Dichter, Myles (December 5, 2022). "Christine Sinclair, Diana Matheson reveal pro Canadian women's soccer league set for kickoff in 2025". CBC Sports. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
25. ^ "CBC/Radio-Canada strikes multi-year deal to broadcast, stream Northern Super League games". CBC Sports. June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
26. ^ Jacques, John (June 11, 2024). "Northern Super League Lands Huge Broadcast Deal With TSN And CBC". Northern Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
27. ^ Press, The Canadian (June 11, 2024). "Fledgling Northern Super League strikes broadcast deal with Bell Media, CBC Sports". TSN. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
28. ^ "Northern Super League and ESPN Announce Media Rights Agreement to Bring Canada's Professional Wom..." NSL - Official site of the Northern Super League. Retrieved April 7, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Northern Super League

* Canadian Soccer Association
* Canada Soccer EXCEL programs
* Women's soccer in Canada

Clubs|

Calgary Wild FC
Halifax Tides FC
Montreal Roses FC
Ottawa Rapid FC
AFC Toronto
Vancouver Rise FC

Seasons|

* 2025

Key personnel|

President
Christina Litz
Chief Growth Officer
Diana Matheson
Advisor(s)
Christine Sinclair

Associated competitions|

* League1 Canada
* Alberta
* British Columbia
* Ontario
* Quebec
* CONCACAF W Champions Cup

* Category
* Portal
* Multimedia

* v
* t
* e

Soccer in Canada

* Canadian Soccer Association
* League system
* Seasons
* Hall of Fame
* Clubs
* Champions
* Club honours
* Stadiums
* Women's soccer in Canada
* Player of the Year award

Men's national teams|

* Senior
* results
* players
* records and statistics
* U-23 (Olympic)
* U-20
* U-17
* Beach soccer
* Futsal

Women's national teams|

* Senior
* results
* players
* U-20
* U-17

Men's outdoor leagues|

| Tier 1|

* Canadian Premier League
* Playoffs
* Finals
* Major League Soccer
* Playoffs
* MLS Cup

|

Tier 3|

* League1 Canada
* Alberta
* British Columbia
* Ontario
* Québec
* MLS Next Pro

Below tier 3|

* United Premier Soccer League
* Alberta Major Soccer League
* Ligue de soccer élite du Québec
* Manitoba Major Soccer League
* Ontario Soccer League
* Pacific Coast Soccer League
* Vancouver Metro Soccer League

Non-FIFA|

* Canadian Soccer League
* Finals

Women's outdoor leagues|

| Professional|

* Northern Super League

|

Pro-am|

* League1 Canada
* Alberta
* British Columbia
* Ontario
* Québec
* United Women's Soccer

Indoor and futsal competitions|

* MASL
* Futsal Canadian Championship

Cup competitions|

| Pro / pro-am|

* Canadian Championship
* Finals
* Voyageurs Cup
* Women's Inter-Provincial Championship

|

Amateur|

* National championships
* Challenge Trophy
* Jubilee Trophy
* Provincial championships
* BC
* NL
* ON

Other competitions|

* Soccer at the Canada Games
* Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament

College and university soccer|

* U Sports men's
* Championship
* U Sports women's
* Championship
* CCAA Soccer National Championship

Defunct Canadian leagues|

* Canadian Professional Soccer League (1983)
* Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992)
* National Soccer League
* Pacific Coast Soccer League (1939–1973)
* Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League
* Western Canada Soccer League
* Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League

Defunct American leagues|

* United Soccer Association
* National Professional Soccer League (1967)
* North American Soccer League (1968–1984)
* Soccer Bowl
* Western Soccer Alliance
* American Professional Soccer League
* USL First Division
* Finals
* USSF Division 2 Professional League
* North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
* Soccer Bowl
* North American Soccer Football League
* USL W-League

Related American leagues|

* USL Championship
* USL League One
* USL League Two
* Women's Premier Soccer League

Defunct cup competitions|

* Inter-Provincial Cup
* Mainland Cup
* Open Canada Cup
* Victoria Challenge Cup
* WFA Challenge Cup
* Women's Voyageurs Cup

Other|

* Canadian clubs in American leagues
* Canadian clubs in international competitions

Associations|

* AB
* BC
* MB
* NB
* NL
* NS
* NT
* NU
* ON
* PE
* QC
* SK
* YT
* Historical: DFA (1877–1881)
* WFA (1880–1940)

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

Top level women's football leagues of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)

North America|

* Canada
* Mexico
* United States
* NWSL
* USLS

Central America|

* Belize
* Costa Rica
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Honduras
* Nicaragua
* Panama

Caribbean|

* Bermuda
* Jamaica
* Puerto Rico
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Trinidad and Tobago

* v
* t
* e

Top level women's association football leagues around the world

Africa|

| North Africa|

* Algeria
* Egypt
* Libya
* Morocco
* Tunisia

|

West Africa|

| Zone A|

* Cape Verde
* Gambia
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Liberia
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Senegal
* Sierra Leone

|

Zone B|

* Benin
* Burkina Faso
* Côte d'Ivoire
* Ghana
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Togo

Central Africa|

* Cameroon
* Chad
* Congo
* DR Congo
* Equatorial Guinea
* Gabon

East Africa|

* Burundi
* Djibouti
* Ethiopia
* Kenya
* Rwanda
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Uganda

Southern Africa|

* Angola
* Botswana
* Comoros
* Eswatini
* Lesotho
* Malawi
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Seychelles
* South Africa
* Zambia

Asia|

| West Asia|

* Bahrain
* Iraq
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* Lebanon
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia

|

Central Asia|

* Iran
* Kyrgyzstan
* Uzbekistan

South Asia|

* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* India
* Maldives
* Nepal
* Pakistan

East Asia|

* China PR
* Hong Kong
* Japan
* Korea DPR
* Korea Republic
* Mongolia
* Taiwan

Southeast Asia|

* Australia
* Indonesia
* Myanmar
* Philippines
* Singapore
* Thailand
* Vietnam

Europe|

* Albania
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* England
* Estonia
* Faroe Islands
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Gibraltar
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Kosovo
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Northern Ireland
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Scotland
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* Wales

North and Central America,
and the Caribbean|

| North America|

* Canada
* Mexico
* United States
* NWSL
* USLS

|

Central America|

* Costa Rica
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Nicaragua

Caribbean|

* Puerto Rico

Oceania|

* New Zealand
* Solomon Islands
* Tuvalu

South America|

* Argentina
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

* Geography of women's association football

* v
* t
* e

Major women's sport leagues in North America

Leagues
by sport|

| Basketball|

WNBA
Unrivaled
WABA
WBDA
Athletes Unlimited
American League (defunct)
WABA (1984) (defunct)
WBA (defunct)
NWBL (defunct)
WBL (defunct)
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division III
NAIA
U Sports

|

Ice hockey|

PWHL
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division III
U Sports
CWHL (defunct)
WWHL (defunct)
PHF (defunct)

Soccer|

NWSL
USL Super League
WPSL
UWS
Liga MX
LIMEFFE
NCAA Division I
NAIA
U Sports
WPS (defunct)
WUSA (defunct)
WLS (defunct)
WPSL Elite (defunct)
USL
USL (1995) (defunct)
Northern Super League (beginning play in 2025)

Softball|

AFP
AUSL
WPF
NCAA Division I (WCWS)
NAIA
NPF (defunct)

Gridiron
football|

WNFC
WFA
USWFL
MWFL
WWCFL
X League
AFWL (defunct)
IWFL (defunct)
LFL (defunct)
LFL Canada (defunct)
NWFA (defunct)
WAFL (defunct)
WFA (defunct)
WFL (defunct)
WPFL (defunct)

Rugby union|

WER
WPL

Lacrosse|

UWLX (defunct)
WPLL (defunct)
Athletes Unlimited (defunct)
WLL

Volleyball|

Athletes Unlimited
LOVB Pro
MLV
PVF
MLV (1987–89) (defunct)

Other sports|

Baseball
Golf
Ringette
Roller derby
Ultimate disc

Leagues
by association|

| NCAA|

Beach volleyball
Bowling
Cross country
Field hockey
Golf
Gymnastics
Lacrosse
Rowing
Swimming and diving
Tennis
Indoor track and field
Outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Water polo
Wrestling (starting in 2025–26)

|

NAIA|

Cross country
Golf
Swimming and diving
Tennis
Indoor track and field
Outdoor track and field
Volleyball
Lacrosse

* v
* t
* e

Sports leagues of Canada

Men's|

| Domestic|

* Canadian Elite Basketball League
* Canadian Football League
* Canadian Premier League (soccer)

|

International|

* Major League Baseball
* Major League Rugby
* Major League Soccer
* National Basketball Association
* National Hockey League
* National Lacrosse League
* Professional Bull Riders
* Ultimate Frisbee Association

Women's|

| Domestic|

* Central Canadian Women's Football League
* Maritime Women's Football League
* National Ringette League
* Northern Super League (soccer)
* Western Women's Canadian Football League

|

International|

* Professional Women's Hockey League
* Women's National Basketball Association (starting 2026)

*[Ref.]: References
*[CEO]: Chief executive officer
*[COO]: Chief operating officer
*[CMO]: Chief marketing officer
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template