CBC/Radio-Canada to broadcast, live stream games of NSL's inaugural season

CBC Sports

· Posted: Feb 20, 2025 12:00 PM EST | Last Updated: February 20

Canada's archetypal nonrecreational women's shot league unveiled its docket Thursday afternoon, with each 75 Northern Super League regular-season matches to aerial crossed CBC, Radio-Canada, TSN and RDS.

Select games volition besides beryllium streamed connected CBC Gem, TSN+ and NSL.ca.

The Vancouver Rise FC volition big Calgary Wild FC connected April 16 astatine BC Place Stadium successful the first-ever NSL match, which volition beryllium disposable connected the escaped CBC Gem streaming service.

AFC Toronto volition unfastened its run astatine location against Montreal Roses FC successful a April 19 lucifer held astatine BMO Field that volition beryllium besides beryllium streamed connected CBC Gem. York Lions Stadium volition service arsenic Toronto's regular home.

Diana Matheson, main enforcement serviceman and co-founder of the NSL, told CBC Sports connected Thursday the league volition vie with the champion astir the world.

"We cognize that due to the fact that of the players we've attracted to this league," she said. "Quinn, Desiree Scott, Emma Regan, Erin McLeod [and] the internationals we brought in, the calibre of coaches we brought in.

"I deliberation Canadians are going to emotion watching these players connected the field, successful the stadium, connected TV."

On April 26, Halifax Tides FC volition play its location opener against Vancouver, portion Ottawa Rapid FC volition debut successful the nation's superior versus Toronto.

WATCH | Matheson confident NSL volition beryllium 'top-5 league successful the world':

Ottawa volition past question to Montreal, which volition observe its inaugural location lucifer connected May 3 astatine Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne successful Laval, Que.

Mother's Day connected May 11 volition people Calgary's location opener against Ottawa astatine McMahon Stadium.

Last June, CBC/Radio-Canada announced a multi-year partnership with the NSL.

"We're a caller product, a caller league," Matheson told Heather Hiscox of CBC News Network astatine the time. "We're not coming successful with a built-in fanbase, but we cognize upwards of 20 cardinal Canadians are fans of women's athletics successful immoderate capacity, and we person to get successful beforehand of eyeballs.

"Ensuring our matches are disposable to Canadians is cardinal to the semipermanent maturation and viability of nonrecreational women's soccer," Matheson added successful a released statement.

WATCH | Quinn joins CBC Sports to picture excitement of NSL launch:

CBC to air 8 regular-season games

This season, Calgary, Halifax and Ottawa volition play 13 of its 25 regular-season matches astatine home, portion Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver volition big 12 games.

The CBC volition broadcast 8 regular-season contests and Radio-Canada and RDS volition supply unrecorded French-language sum of each Montreal Rose FC matches connected their linear platforms.

A "Game of the Week" volition co-stream simultaneously connected CBC Gem and NSL.ca, portion 24 different matches volition co-stream simultaneously connected TSN+ and NSL.ca.

There volition beryllium a azygous division, with 3 points awarded for a victory, 1 for a gully and zero for a loss.

WATCH | Canada aiming to emulate Spain's home women's shot success:

Each squad volition play a 25-game regular-season schedule, facing the different clubs 5 times. The apical 4 sides volition marque the post-season with No. 1 playing No. 4 and No. 2 opposing No. 3 successful two-legged semifinals. The higher-seeded clubs volition play connected location turf for their 2nd game.

The squad with the higher full people successful each semifinal volition beforehand to the Nov. 15 title game.

Sophia Ferreira, a assemblage defender with the UBC Thunderbirds who antecedently played professionally successful Portugal's Liga BPI, hopes the NSL tin further span the spread from U Sports to the pro ranks.

"I deliberation the NSL is putting a airy connected U Sports a small spot due to the fact that we are the assemblage league successful Canada that volition hopefully physique to the NSL conscionable similar the NCAA Division 1 teams are the level beneath the NWSL [in the U.S.]," she told CBC Sports past September.

"So it's benignant of shining a airy and allowing radical to really look astatine america for once, which I'm hoping volition hap and volition really beryllium capable to make a beauteous bully league with Canadian players positive radical internationally."

Teams volition initially run nether a $1.6-million wage headdress with the league minimum wage acceptable astatine $50,000. Each franchise volition beryllium allowed a marquee subordinate whose wage volition not number against the cap.

Unlike Major League Soccer, the NSL peculiar wage slot volition not travel with a rubric (designated subordinate successful MLS) and Matheson says teams whitethorn not place the subordinate successful question.

The caller league is owned arsenic by the clubs, with Matheson and league co-founder Tom Gilbert holding an ownership involvement successful the Ottawa franchise. Future enlargement teams volition besides bargain into the league with each franchise holding an adjacent share.