When Chloe Lacasse was young, she wished there was a women’s professional soccer league in Canada.
Growing up in Sudbury, Ontario, the Canadian women’s national team forward didn’t get as much attention as she did in bigger cities like Toronto.
Lacasse believes that reality will change with the Canadian professional league, unveiled on Tuesday as the Northern Super League and scheduled to begin in April 2025. Former Canadian international Diana Matheson is the league’s chief executive officer and co-founder.
The NSL plans to begin a 25-game season in April 2025 with franchises in Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax and Calgary, and unveiled the Calgary Wild FC team name and logo on Thursday.
“This is something that really resonates with me,” Lacasse said Thursday at Center Nutrilait. “I wish something like this had happened when I was younger because my journey wasn’t easy.”
Watch l Matheson’s two new teams and the newly named Northern Super League:
Founder Diana Matheson explains how the league name was decided and announces all the teams participating in the inaugural season.
The Canadian women’s national team, ranked 9th in the world, will face Mexico (ranked 31st in the world) in a pre-Olympic friendly at Montreal’s Saputo Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Canada is scheduled to play Mexico again Tuesday at BMO Field in Toronto.
Lacasse, 30, who finally broke up with the Canada Women’s National Team in 2021, has played professionally in Iceland and Portugal, scoring multiple goals in those leagues and landing in the English FA Women’s Super League with Arsenal.
“It’s been a very difficult journey to get to where we are because we didn’t have visibility,” Lacasse said. “Not many coaches have given me that look, and I think maybe this league will provide that look to kids who haven’t been drafted into the (National Women’s Super League) or the WSL.
“It almost gives them a second chance.”
Competitive salary cap expectations
Each NSL team is expected to have an initial salary cap of $1.5 million for the 20 to 25 players on its roster, with a minimum salary of $50,000. Franchises are allowed up to seven foreign players and one marquee player, with salaries capped at just $75,000 against the cap.
For reference, the NWSL, the highest level in the United States, increased the salary cap for rosters of 22-26 players from $1.375 million to $2.75 million this season.
Even Canadian players based in Europe and the United States think it’s possible to play professionally at home in the future.
“I’m really happy where I am right now,” said center back Vanessa Gilles, who currently plays for Lyon, France. “But obviously it’s going to be a very exciting time ahead for a lot of Canadians. It’s no secret that playing at home in front of friends and family is a huge plus. The downside of being a professional is that you’re away from your loved ones and there’s so much in life.” “We’re missing a lot of events.”
Lacasse is excited to pursue his football dreams in Europe, but he wouldn’t rule it out either.
“Everyone on this team is looking at this league as a place they could potentially land,” Lacasse said. “I’m sure we’ll see some big stars in this league in the future.”
The league will also have an impact on nurturing future talent for the national team, they say.
The value of domestic professional leagues
As Canada prepares to defend its Olympic title at the Paris Olympics this summer, Lacasse and Gilles are focused on their match against Mexico. But even Mexico provides a window into what this new league could mean for the Canadian side.
Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil was founded in 2016 and Lacasse says the Mexican national team is already seeing results.
“They’ve gotten a lot stronger over the last four or five years,” Lacasse said. “That’s the nature of the professional league they started in Mexico. It’s really exciting to see a team like that.
“They started building academies, they started creating professional leagues, and that’s what the professional players are seeing now.”
Gilles hopes the Canadian league can have a similar impact.
“Mexico has been one of the teams over the last few years that has really proven what it means to invest in your team and invest in your home league,” Gilles said. “We need to be competitive on the national team and have top-level players (in Canada).”
After the match against Mexico, the Bev Priestman Group is expected to hold further exhibitions in Europe during the FIFA World Cup on July 8-16 before the Paris Olympics. Canada opens the tournament on July 25 against New Zealand.
