Playing 1st-ever Northern Super League game 'a privilege' for Vancouver Rise, Calgary Wild

Gemma Karstens-Smith · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 10:21 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

There'll beryllium a batch of emotions circulating astatine B.C. Place connected Wednesday erstwhile Canada's caller women's nonrecreational shot league officially launches.

And Lydia Bedford wants 1 successful peculiar to beryllium ascendant for her Calgary Wild arsenic they instrumentality connected the Vancouver Rise successful the first-ever Northern Super League game.

"The biggest feeling that our players should person erstwhile they measurement retired onto the transportation is pride," said Calgary's caput coach.

"Yeah, there's a ton of unit connected everybody close now, but if we didn't similar pressure, we wouldn't bash these jobs. It would beryllium overmuch easier to instrumentality antithetic jobs oregon antithetic paths."

Bedford knows what it's similar to beryllium a trailblazer.

Before joining the Wild, she was caput manager of the under-18 men's squad astatine Brentford FC and was the archetypal pistillate to ever clasp a coaching presumption astatine an English Premier League club.

Reflecting connected that experience, Bedford had a elemental portion of proposal for her team.

"Someone's got to beryllium the archetypal successful each situation," she said. "For me, it's not being fazed by that and seeing it arsenic a privilege."

The archetypal crippled of the inaugural NSL run follows 10 weeks of pre-season mentation for each of the league's six teams.

The NSL begins its inaugural play Wednesday with Vancouver Rise FC hosting Calgary Wild FC. The 8 p.m. ET lucifer volition beryllium disposable astatine CBCSports.ca and connected the escaped CBC Gem streaming service.

Finally approaching footwear disconnected is simply a spot similar the emergence of spring, said Rise caput manager Anja Heiner-Moller. "We're conscionable acceptable to get started and truthful excited," she said. "We privation to springiness the champion we person that time and beryllium capable to bask it due to the fact that this is simply a time of celebration."

Vancouver's nine has heavy ties with the Canadian nationalist women's team. Soccer fable Christine Sinclair is portion of the ownership radical and erstwhile Canadian 'keeper Stephanie Labbe is the sporting director.

The Rise roster includes Quinn, who won golden with Canada astatine the Tokyo Olympics and spent six seasons playing for the Seattle Reign successful the National Women's Soccer League earlier signing with Vancouver. The midfielder is joined by homegrown defender Shannon Woeller, chap Reign alumni Nikki Stanton and American guardant Jasmyne Spencer.

Heiner-Moller is expecting her squad to play entertaining, competitory soccer.

"We would similar to beryllium connected the ball," she said. "We privation to person an attacking mindset. We privation to beryllium tactically flexible, capable to bash antithetic things and alteration however we play."

Coming into a brand-new league, Heiner-Moller and her unit aren't precisely definite what they should beryllium expecting from the Wild. And that's conscionable fine.

WATCH | NSL players connected what a nonrecreational women's league successful Canada means:

Notable names down clubs

"For america to beryllium capable to absorption much connected ourselves successful a gathering concern of the team, that's really OK," said the Danish seat boss, adding helium wants her squad to beryllium capable to respond to immoderate concern a crippled presents.

"Otherwise, we've utilized excessively overmuch clip connected the opponent, I would say."

There are notable names down Calgary's club, too.

The Wild ownership radical includes Vancouver Whitecap defender Sam Adekugbe and Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, portion the roster features Afghan-Canadian midfielder Farkhunda Muhtaj, formerly of Dutch nine Fortuna Sittard, and three-time Olympian Meikayla Moore of New Zealand.

One vantage the squad has, Bedford said, is the connections they've built implicit the pre-season. Players and unit alike person been sharing their stories implicit the past 10 weeks and person developed peculiar bonds that volition beryllium cardinal arsenic they navigate the unknowns of a startup league.

Struggles this play could see navigating the question and fatigue that comes with having teams dispersed crossed the country, the manager said.

"But we accidental we're owl successful it unneurotic due to the fact that the owl's connected our crest," she said. "We'll find a mode to enactment done it arsenic a group. And I deliberation the radical being adjacent is truly going to help." The travel volition statesman with a peculiar crippled astatine B.C. Place connected Wednesday, 1 that Bedford expects to beryllium memorable not conscionable for the coaches and players, but the fans successful the stands, too.

"Both teams are going to bring a ton of vigor and strength and a tendency to amusement the champion of their pre-season efforts and the champion of themselves arsenic individuals," she said. "And I deliberation that makes for a truly breathtaking crippled of football."