Montreal Roses bloom at home, plant seeds for future of women's soccer in Quebec

This past weekend, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and nieces packed the stands of Stade Boréale successful Laval, Que., to enactment Montreal Roses FC arsenic they deed the tract for their first-ever location game.

There were besides men successful attendance, but this was a milestone infinitesimal for women's shot successful Quebec, 1 that could spark dreams for years to come. 

And for galore of those who were portion of the sold-out crowd, it was a accidental to bespeak connected what the city's archetypal nonrecreational women's shot squad means to them.

Montreal Roses FC's 2-1 triumph implicit Ottawa Rapid FC was the exclamation people connected a peculiar day astatine Stade Boréale. 

"It's a large clip to beryllium a woman," said Élisabeth Poulain-Lapierre, 1 of much than 5,000 fans who attended the game, who pointed retired that the Roses tin animate galore children, careless of gender, to vie and purpose to spell professional. 

"I'm precise blessed to spot women being truthful exposed connected societal media and having the accidental to talk for different women and to amusement that women's sports beryllium and that they tin vie connected large stages," she said. 

Audréanne Beaulieu, a 42-year-old who erstwhile played semi-professionally, brought her niece to witnesser the moment. She said she was blessed to spot young ladies person the anticipation to play connected a squad similar the Roses successful the future.

"We're benignant of the erstwhile Roses but determination was nary league similar that erstwhile we were younger," said Beaulieu, remembering her clip arsenic a shot player.

She expressed optimism, knowing that today's players could afloat dedicate themselves to their craft. 

"It's truly unbelievable because, astatine our time, we had to enactment besides. We had to person a mean job, travel bid after," said Beaulieu. 

"It was hard, we were tired. So it's truly amusive for them that they person the accidental to person each those trainers, being paid to play the sport." 

The Northern Super League's minimum wage is $50,000, allowing galore players to solely ore connected the game.

'They airy the path' 

The league is the country's first-ever nonrecreational women's shot league. 

There are six founding clubs successful total: Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, AFC Toronto, Calgary Wild FC, and Vancouver Rise FC.

WATCH | What is the Northern Super League?:

Montreal Roses FC presently sits astatine the apical of the standings, riding a three-game winning streak.  

The Montreal nine triumphed implicit Toronto successful their debut game, past won against Vancouver before defeating Ottawa during its archetypal location game.

Franco Lipari, the caput manager of a women's shot team, brought his 2 daughters and different young girls to assistance them spot what they, too, could 1 time achieve.

"It's an implicit fantastic moment. I'm astatine a nonaccomplishment of words," said Lipari.

"It's a imagination travel existent that there's a nonrecreational women's squad present successful Montreal."

Team president Annie Larouche looked retired astatine the assemblage and smiled, visibly moved arsenic she took the pulse of the moment.

"They look amazing, don't they? We tin spot our colours. Ah, the stands are full. How fortunate americium I?" she said.

Larouche stated that she was looking guardant to perchance signing young girls 1 day, hoping the Roses would animate them.

"To the older ones, I accidental 'thank you' due to the fact that they airy the path, they are the instauration of what we person close now," said Larouche.

"A period ago, determination was thing here. We built a stadium, we're gathering a team, an astonishing team. The fans, the full assemblage is down us. This is precise exciting."

And Larouche wasn't unsocial successful her wonder. 

Latifah Abdu, a Montrealer who opened the scoring connected Saturday, was near speechless by the buzz successful the stadium.

"I knew they were going to come, but honestly they exceeded expectations. They were so, truthful passionate," she said. 

"Playing astatine home, this is my city, I grew up here, and to beryllium capable to springiness the supporters and my metropolis the 3 points together, it's amazing." 

Tanya Boychuk, who helped seal the 2-1 triumph against Ottawa Rapid FC by scoring disconnected a header, said she astir cried aft proceeding the nationalist anthem. 

"I ne'er get to sing my nationalist anthem. I've ever sung the U.S, Swedish, Icelandic, everything," said Boychuk. 

She urged the fans to support coming to the games and to support filling the seats.

The Roses volition instrumentality to their home stadium next Saturday, facing the Halifax Tides FC.

"Keep coming," said Boychuk. "We're going to enactment connected a amusement each time."