Canadian soccer fans and CBC Sports viewers will have a chance to quickly familiarize themselves with players and teams of the Northern Super League during its inaugural season, starting next April.
CBC/Radio-Canada has entered a multi-year partnership with the women’s professional soccer league, along with TSN/RDS. Matches will be shown to CBC viewers across the national network and across its digital platforms — CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports App and CBC Gem, with Radio-Canada providing French-language coverage.
“We are delighted to announce Bell Media and CBC/Radio-Canada as our official media partners,” NSL chief executive officer and co-founder Diana Matheson said in a released statement. “Ensuring our matches are available to Canadians is key to the long-term growth and viability of professional women’s soccer.
“Our players have been behind the scenes for too long. [This coverage] is a huge win for fans and creates a lasting impact on women’s sport in this country.”
CBC/Radio-Canada will also produce and promote NSL news and content, with the much-anticipated first-season schedule and broadcast schedule to be announced later.
Franchises in Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax and Calgary will open with a 25-game schedule followed by playoffs and a national championship in the fall of 2025.
WATCH | Matheson announces multi-year broadcast deal with CBC/Radio-Canada:
Northern Super League founder and former Canadian women’s national team forward Diana Matheson joined Heather Hiscox on CBC Morning Live to announce a multi-year broadcast deal with CBC/Radio-Canada.
Teams are expected to operate with an initial salary cap of $1.5 million for 20 to 25 players on a roster, with a $50,000 minimum salary. Each club will be allowed up to seven foreign players and one marquee player whose salary will only account for $75,000 against the cap.
“After years without a professional women’s domestic soccer league, the Northern Super League and its six founding clubs will fill a significant void in Canada and bring about meaningful change coast to coast,” Matheson said last month. “We are proud to launch with a name that will instill pride in all those who play and love the game.”
By intentionally omitting ‘women,’ the league stated in a May 28 news release, “it firmly declares its ambitions to be equal to other leagues in professional sports, inviting all who love the beautiful game and who want to be a part of the growth in professional women’s sports to feel included.”
The Canadian-focused loop will also feature international talent.
WATCH l CanWNT players, coach on importance of Northern Super League:
Players Adriana Leon, Deanne Rose, Jade Rose and head coach Bev Priestman explain the impact of a domestic pro soccer league in Canada.
CBC/Radio-Canada, Canada’s national public broadcaster and Olympic and Paralympic network, has a rich history of showcasing sports events and is “proud” to provide a national stage for the NSL, according to its president and CEO, Catherine Tait
“Soccer keeps winning more and more fans across the country, and we are delighted to bring them all the excitement and drama of the Northern Super League matches,” Tait added.
In May, Canada forward Cloé Lacasse noted the NSL provides “a second opportunity” for many women’s soccer players.
“I wish when I was younger that this existed because my journey wasn’t easy,” the native of Sudbury, Ont., told The Canadian Press. “There was no visibility. There weren’t many coaches, so I didn’t have those eyes on me, and I think this league will provide that for kids that maybe aren’t drafted into a [National Women’s Super League] or WSL [Women’s Super League].”
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—@footy_prime