Northern Super League's 6 clubs unveil kits, league prepares for launch

Donna Spencer · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 10:10 AM EDT | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

As the timepiece ticked down to the Northern Super League's launch, president Christina Litz made the rounds to cheque successful connected its clubs' last preparations.

The uncover of each of the six clubs' kits Thursday was different signpost connected the roadworthy to the Canadian women's nonrecreational shot league that opens April 16 erstwhile Calgary's Wild FC sojourn Vancouver Rise FC astatine BC Place.

"It's astonishing going to these antithetic markets and seeing however overmuch things person progressed successful the past fewer months," Litz said Thursday astatine Calgary's McMahon Stadium, wherever a FIFA-approved transportation was astir to beryllium installed and a locker country was nether renovation.

"An lawsuit similar today, erstwhile we're unveiling the kit, is different motion to the marketplace that we're coming and we're real."

Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver are the NSL's archetypal six. Each squad volition play 25 matches from April to October with the apical 4 advancing to playoffs.

Three days aft the opener successful Vancouver, it's AFC Toronto hosting Montreal Roses FC astatine BMO Field.

"We privation to spot these stadiums afloat successful these aboriginal games and I deliberation we will," said Litz. "There's a batch of anticipation astir it, but I deliberation that has to beryllium balanced with realizing that we're successful this for the agelong haul, and maturation takes time.

"You tin spot from our friends successful the PWHL and adjacent the WNBA that was 30 years successful the making to wherever we're astatine today, to deliberation that this conscionable happens overnight, and there's not further enactment to do, and further things to fulfil, is unrealistic."

Training camps that began past period to whittle rosters down to betwixt 20 and 25 players coincided with a flurry of sponsorship announcements. WestJet, Coca-Cola, Toyota and Intact Insurance joined Canadian Tire, Sportchek, DoorDash and Westland Insurance.

A broadcast/streaming docket is successful spot involving TSN, CBC, RDS, Radio-Canada and NSL.ca.

But the concern of pro athletics requires eyeballs connected the merchandise some successful the stadium and extracurricular of it connected screens.

"I don't uncertainty radical volition watch. I cognize radical volition watch,"' said Afghan-Canadian midfielder Farkhunda Muhtaj of Toronto.

Wild FC's archetypal subordinate signing, who modelled the club's purple and reddish location kit Thursday, was alert her squad and Vancouver's volition acceptable the code for the caller league April 16.

"The mode that we're benignant of managing this is conscionable taking it time by time and knowing that we're genuinely honoured to beryllium connected this travel and conscionable making the astir retired of it," said the 27-year-old.

Litz came to the NSL aft enforcement stints successful the CFL and with True North, which owns the NHL's Jets.

"I consciousness fortunate that those erstwhile experiences connected the men's pro broadside person fixed maine some astatine the league and the squad background, a unsocial penetration into what it takes to physique a league similar this from scratch, each of the elements, and not taking for granted that thing is easy," Litz said.

"This is an amusement concern now. This is an progressively competitory concern now, and past furniture up each the joyousness that is moving a startup and conscionable learning things similar however bash you enactment unneurotic benefits packages and each the rental agreements you person for antithetic things, immoderate of that breadstuff and food stuff. I'm surrounded again by astonishing people, some astatine the league office, who person a tremendous magnitude of experience, and past astatine our nine level with Calgary being nary exception."

The NSL's minimum wage volition beryllium $50,000 with 1 designated subordinate whose wage won't number against a $1.6-million wage cap.

Up to 8 internationals are permitted per team, but an purpose of the league is to supply Canadian women with a home pro league truthful they don't person to play abroad.

Wild FC, which volition beryllium Alberta's lone women's pro sports team, volition stock McMahon with the CFL's Stampeders and the University of Calgary shot team.

The McMahon Stadium Society invested successful instrumentality to overgarment lines for either shot oregon soccer, and hydraulics volition beryllium installed for the shot uprights, said Wild CEO Lara Murphy.

"They'll beryllium flipping the tract astir similar you flip a country for an event, but this volition beryllium for sport," she said.

The Wild's home-opener May 11 is against Ottawa Rapid FC. The eastbound stands of McMahon volition supply spectator seating and Murphy wants to spot them full.

"We bash request much exposure," Murphy said. "We request radical to bargain tickets, whether it's done their schools, communities, workplaces, oregon conscionable for their families.

"I'd accidental we're pleased, but we request to support pushing much and get the connection out, truthful we're astir to embark connected different run to bash conscionable that."