Latest news with #DianaMatheson
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
CBC to broadcast 1st-ever Northern Super League final at Toronto's BMO Field
CBC will broadcast the first-ever Northern Super League final, which will be held at Toronto's BMO Field on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. ET. The league made the announcement during halftime of Saturday's match between AFC Toronto and the Montreal Roses, which featured the two clubs leading the NSL standings. The game will mark the first time a women's professional sports team championship will be held in Canada at a neutral-site venue. "This moment is for the players, coaches and clubs who have given everything to build this league from the ground up — the long days, the early mornings, and the sacrifices they've made, all with one goal in mind: to win the NSL Final," Diana Matheson, Founder & Chief Growth Officer of Northern Super League, said in a statement. "The final is our chance to celebrate everything they've accomplished and to show the world what our athletes are truly capable of. It will be a historic moment — but also the start of something even bigger. We can't wait to share it with Canadians." The game will also be broadcast nationally on TSN and RDS, with international coverage on ESPN+ and the NSL's official YouTube channel. The long-awaited Canadian women's professional soccer league kicked off a 25-game regular season in April with six founding franchises: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Ottawa Rapid FC and Vancouver Rise FC. The league's playoff format will see the top four teams at the end of the regular season compete in a home-and-away semifinal series. The two clubs with the highest aggregate scores will advance to the championship match at BMO Field, which will be hosted in partnership with host city club AFC Toronto. BMO Field will also host six games at next summer's FIFA World Cup. Before Friday's action, Toronto (8-3-1) topped the NSL standings with 25 points, seven more than second-place Montreal (5-3-3) with one additional game played. Ottawa (4-4-2) and Calgary (4-5-2) rounded out the top four with 14 points apiece, while Vancouver (3-5-3) and Halifax (3-7-1) ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. "Along with our top players, all of clubs to our partners and sponsors, and especially with fans from across the country, the NSL fiinal and Changemakers Summit will be a powerful celebration of excellence in Canadian women's soccer and the movement around women's sports in Canada," said NSL president Christina Litz in a statement. "This is the beginning of a new tradition – and is a once in a lifetime opportunity to mark this historic occasion of the first-ever Canadian professional women's sports national championship and you don't want to miss it." Tickets for the final go on public sale in early September.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Northern Super League's inaugural final to take place at Toronto's BMO Field
TORONTO - The Northern Super League's inaugural final will be played at Toronto's BMO Field on Nov. 15, the league announced Friday at halftime of a match between Montreal Roses FC and AFC Toronto. The long-awaited Canadian women's professional soccer league kicked off a 25-game regular season in April with six founding franchises: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Ottawa Rapid FC and Vancouver Rise FC. The regular season's top four teams advance to a home-and-away semifinal series. The two clubs with the highest aggregate scores advance to the championship. Toronto hosted Montreal in its first fixture on April 19 at BMO Field, the 30,000-capacity home of Major League Soccer's Toronto FC and the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. The club has otherwise played its regular-season matches at York Lions Stadium. BMO Field will also host six games at next summer's FIFA World Cup. Before Friday's action, Toronto (8-3-1) topped the NSL standings with 25 points, seven more than second-place Montreal (5-3-3) with one additional game played. Ottawa (4-4-2) and Calgary (4-5-2) rounded out the top four with 14 points apiece, while Vancouver (3-5-3) and Halifax (3-7-1) ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. Tickets for the final go on public sale in early September. The game will also be broadcast nationally on CBC, TSN and RDS in French. 'This moment is for the players, coaches and clubs who have given everything to build this league from the ground up — the long days, the early mornings, and the sacrifices they've made, all with one goal in mind: to win the NSL Final,' NSL founder and chief growth officer Diana Matheson said in a statement. 'The Final is our chance to celebrate everything they've accomplished and to show the world what our athletes are truly capable of. It will be a historic moment — but also the start of something even bigger. We can't wait to share it with Canadians.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Northern Super League's inaugural final to take place at Toronto's BMO Field
TORONTO – The Northern Super League's inaugural final will be played at Toronto's BMO Field on Nov. 15, the league announced Friday at halftime of a match between Montreal Roses FC and AFC Toronto. The long-awaited Canadian women's professional soccer league kicked off a 25-game regular season in April with six founding franchises: Montreal, Toronto, Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Ottawa Rapid FC and Vancouver Rise FC. The regular season's top four teams advance to a home-and-away semifinal series. The two clubs with the highest aggregate scores advance to the championship. Toronto hosted Montreal in its first fixture on April 19 at BMO Field, the 30,000-capacity home of Major League Soccer's Toronto FC and the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. The club has otherwise played its regular-season matches at York Lions Stadium. BMO Field will also host six games at next summer's FIFA World Cup. Before Friday's action, Toronto (8-3-1) topped the NSL standings with 25 points, seven more than second-place Montreal (5-3-3) with one additional game played. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Ottawa (4-4-2) and Calgary (4-5-2) rounded out the top four with 14 points apiece, while Vancouver (3-5-3) and Halifax (3-7-1) ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. Tickets for the final go on public sale in early September. The game will also be broadcast nationally on CBC, TSN and RDS in French. 'This moment is for the players, coaches and clubs who have given everything to build this league from the ground up — the long days, the early mornings, and the sacrifices they've made, all with one goal in mind: to win the NSL Final,' NSL founder and chief growth officer Diana Matheson said in a statement. 'The Final is our chance to celebrate everything they've accomplished and to show the world what our athletes are truly capable of. It will be a historic moment — but also the start of something even bigger. We can't wait to share it with Canadians.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025.
CBC
5 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
CBC to broadcast 1st-ever Northern Super League final at Toronto's BMO Field
CBC will broadcast the first-ever Northern Super League final, which will be held at Toronto's BMO Field on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. ET. The league made the announcement during halftime of Saturday's match between AFC Toronto and the Montreal Roses, which featured the two clubs leading the NSL standings. The game will mark the first time a women's professional sports team championship will be held in Canada at a neutral-site venue. "This moment is for the players, coaches and clubs who have given everything to build this league from the ground up — the long days, the early mornings, and the sacrifices they've made, all with one goal in mind: to win the NSL Final," said Diana Matheson, Founder & Chief Growth Officer of Northern Super League. "The final is our chance to celebrate everything they've accomplished and to show the world what our athletes are truly capable of. It will be a historic moment — but also the start of something even bigger. We can't wait to share it with Canadians." The game will also be broadcast nationally on TSN and RDS, with international coverage on ESPN+ and the NSL's official YouTube channel. The league's playoff format will see the top four teams at the end of the regular season compete in a home-and-away semifinal series.
Edmonton Journal
5 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Arsenal's monster transfer fee for Canadian Olivia Smith buzzes at home
Article content A Canadian player setting a new benchmark in the women's soccer transfer market floats a lot of boats, says Northern Super League co-founder and former Canadian international Diana Matheson. Article content The one million pounds (C$1.85 million) Arsenal paid Liverpool for 20-year-old forward Olivia Smith of Whitby, Ont., in the Women's Super League is the biggest price tag in women's soccer history for a transfer. Article content Article content Matheson says an accelerating transfer fee market bodes well for the NSL, which kicked off this year with six teams and a mission to provide the first domestic women's pro league for Canadian and international players. Article content Article content 'The growth of the market really helps us sell to investors in Canada and abroad,' she said. 'The transfer market is obviously a piece of that puzzle. Article content 'This is where the market is at that a Canadian player is going for this and how exciting is it like that we're not far around the corner now that we have a professional league, that if top Canadians choose to leave the Canadian league in the future, clubs could be selling them for a whole lot of money because we create such world-class players.' Article content Smith's transfer to the Gunners announced Thursday surpassed the previous high of 900,000 pounds (C$1.6 million) Chelsea paid the NWSL's San Diego Wave for American centre back Naomi Girma in January. Article content Article content 'To be part of a movement that's changing how the game is valued is an honour,' Smith said in a statement released by her public relations agency. Article content 'This is a huge step forward for women's soccer and for Canadian soccer. I hope this shows young Canadian girls that anything is possible.' Article content Serita Thurton of the NSL's Wild FC said rumours about Smith's transfer to Arsenal before it was announced was a topic of discussion in the Calgary club's dressing room. Article content 'Seeing a Canadian player break a record like this, it kind of just shows that Canada has a lot to offer when it comes to quality in soccer players,' said the forward from Ajax, Ont. Article content 'It definitely makes our league look a lot better. Even though she isn't playing it, just the fact that it is a Canadian league, it does make a statement saying that Canada has quality players and that we're a football country in our own right. So yeah, it definitely has a good look in that sense.'
