The Northern Super League officially launched on Wednesday night with the Vancouver Rise FC defeating the Calgary Wild FC 1-0 at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. This was the first ever game of the Canadian professional women’s soccer league, and it was attended by 14,018 people according to the Canadian Press.
The Canadian goal scorer was Quinn, who scored on a penalty kick in the 21st minute. Quinn of Toronto, Ontario, won a gold medal for Canada at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
There are currently six teams in the league. Joining Calgary and Vancouver are the Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, and AFC Toronto.
Two of the current owners were are also part of the Canadian National Women’s Soccer team. They were midfielder Diana Matheson of Mississauga, Ontario and Christine Sinclair of Burnaby, British Columbia. Matheson is the part owner of Ottawa Rapid FC and is also the league’s Chief Growth Officer, while Sinclair is the part-owner of the Rise FC. Matheson won the bronze medal for Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, while Sinclair teamed up to win Olympic gold with Quinn, and Olympic bronze twice with Matheson.
