For NSL's Ottawa Rapid FC, growing relationships at core of team-building

Signa Butler · CBC Sports

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 12:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

When tasked with gathering a nonrecreational shot squad from the crushed up, determination are a fewer main ingredients involved.

Staff, naturally. Players, of course. Investors, yes. Fans, astir definitely. 

But 1 halfway constituent that stands retired erstwhile speaking to the unit and players of Ottawa Rapid FC of the Northern Super League is relationships. Building beardown relationships.

"It's truly been astatine the forefront of everything we do," said Rapid FC's sporting manager and erstwhile Canadian nationalist squad member, Kristina Kiss.

"I've ever believed that a squad that gets on disconnected the tract volition execute amended connected the field, particularly successful the women's game, and that extends to unit arsenic well. I deliberation we've truly brought successful bully radical and that helps physique a affirmative culture." 

When it comes to gathering relationships, determination is astir apt nary 1 much suited to pb the complaint than Katrine Pedersen. 

The UEFA Pro Licence manager (the highest coaching certification successful Europe), Pedersen comes to Ottawa aft a decorated playing vocation with Denmark (210 caps) and a lengthy coaching resume. 

No. 1 focus

What's been her No. 1 absorption since taking the occupation successful October 2024?

"Relations. That is the main precedence close present and we'll proceed to bash that," she said connected a caller call. "It's peculiar to physique a squad from the bottommost arsenic we've done here. There's an look that 'they don't attraction however overmuch you know, until they cognize however overmuch you care.'

"So we're going to physique the civilization and we're going to physique relationships and of people we're going to get connected the aforesaid leafage erstwhile it comes to football." 

Susanne Haaland, a erstwhile Norwegian younker planetary and existent defender connected the Rapid, knows Pedersen well.

Back successful Norway, Pedersen coached her precocious schoolhouse squad and, for a abbreviated play of time, they played professionally unneurotic with Stabæk, a nine successful the suburbs of Oslo. 

"It's hard to picture Katrine arsenic a manager without describing her arsenic a idiosyncratic first," Haaland said successful a caller interview. "She's an highly bully person, conscionable a bully quality being. That ties into everything she does.

"Her kindness and her beauteous mode of being is astatine the centre of what she does arsenic a coach. A holistic manager who sees not lone the player, but the idiosyncratic arsenic good and truly wants radical to make and beryllium astatine their best."

Kiss besides knew Pedersen earlier they joined forces connected the Rapid. They were teammates 20-plus years agone successful Norway's Toppserien. 

When Kiss took the occupation with Ottawa and began looking for a caput coach, Pedersen's sanction was astatine the apical of the list. 

"We knew the benignant of idiosyncratic that we wanted, the benignant of methodology and doctrine that we wanted to found connected the team, which was similar a much modern, player-centric attack wherever the players could beryllium a portion of gathering the squad and the system." 

Relationship-building was astatine the basal of subordinate signings arsenic well. 

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Perfect leader

Desiree Scott, speech from being known by her nickname "the Destroyer," is often referred to arsenic the "glue of the Canadian women's nationalist team" during her 15 years arsenic a holding midfielder with the program. A cleanable person to usher the Rapid successful their inaugural season.

Ottawa-born players similar Florence Belzile, Emily Amano, Miranda Smith, Mollie Eriksson and Kayla Adamek person a narration to the community, having begun their passionateness for shot done immoderate of the grassroots clubs successful the area.

Or the summation of planetary players similar Haaland, who speech from playing nonrecreational shot holds a master's grade successful instrumentality and is passionate astir biology and quality rights issues. A subordinate with nonrecreational acquisition and principles. 

The Rapid opened their grooming campy successful aboriginal February astatine the RA Centre, an indoor all-purpose installation connected Riverside Drive. For virtually each of the team's players, it was the archetypal instauration to each other.

Since then, on with fittingness investigating - including the dreaded yo-yo trial - method and tactical practices, video and betterment sessions, there's been a absorption connected team-building. 

In February, it was skating connected the Rideau Canal and trying Beaver Tails, indoor mini play and cheering connected the PWHL's Ottawa Charge. In March, it was a travel to a compartment successful Quebec to enslaved some connected and disconnected the transportation and acceptable the code for the play ahead.

There was snowshoeing, a batch of icebreaker games, strategy sessions and according to Kiss, "some embarrassing footage and photos of each different were shared successful bully fun." 

Haaland, who joined Ottawa from Kolbotn successful Norway, says she's excited for the uncommon accidental to physique the team's civilization from scratch. 

"For me, it's important to physique a bully squad situation wherever radical consciousness comfortable, wherever radical tin beryllium themselves, and wherever we physique each different up. 

"Whenever you go a portion of a squad successful different settings, you benignant of person to find your spot wrong that team, but present we each tin assistance make a caller team. 

"We each person the powerfulness to assistance mold our team, mold our culture, and marque it into a civilization we want."

Ottawa Rapid FC kickoff their inaugural NSL play with their location opener April 27th astatine TD Place Stadium successful Lansdowne Park.