Stephanie Labbe remembers arriving at a new club abroad and having to start from the ground up in building a home.
B次元官网网址淪o many times when I was an athlete and I was playing in Sweden or in the U.S. or France, youB次元官网网址檙e showing up to this apartment that doesnB次元官网网址檛 really feel like home,B次元官网网址� said the former Canadian international goalkeeper who is now sporting director of the Northern Super LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Vancouver Rise. B次元官网网址淚t feels like youB次元官网网址檙e living in someone elseB次元官网网址檚 space.B次元官网网址�
Canadian Tire is giving players in the new NSL a helping hand on that score.
With a multi-year, multimillion-dollar partnership announced Wednesday, the company will support players as they settle into their new environments with B次元官网网址渇unding and resources.B次元官网网址�
The Home Field Advantage program will also help the NSLB次元官网网址檚 six clubs B次元官网网址渙ptimize facilities as they prepare for the season ahead.B次元官网网址�
Canadian Tire was one of the first corporations to jump on board when former Canadian international Diana Matheson and business partner Thomas Gilbert announced Project 8, the precursor to the new league that is set to kick off in April.
The new sponsorship deal was announced at an NSL panel discussion Wednesday, part of a Sports Marketing Canada Council event. It will also see Canadian Tire displayed at stadiums and on broadcasts with the companyB次元官网网址檚 red triangle logo displayed on the left sleeve of every club jersey.
The panel featured Labbe, Helena Ruken (AFC Toronto), Isabele Chevalier (Montreal Roses), Gilbert (Ottawa Rapid), Courtney Sherlock (Halifax Tide) and Deanna Zumwalt (Calgary Wild) with Canadian TireB次元官网网址檚 Ashley Curran, Canadian TireB次元官网网址檚 associate vice-president, community Impact and sport partnerships, serving as moderator.
B次元官网网址淚 would say everybody thatB次元官网网址檚 involved really believes this is about elevating a generation of female leaders on and off the pitch,B次元官网网址� Zumwalt told the audience. B次元官网网址淲e know that one per cent may go on to play pro soccer but that other 99 per cent, if we can draw them into sport, keep them involved in sport, they go on to incredible things. We know that.B次元官网网址�
For Labbe, the NSL will also offer Canadian players a chance to build their own brand at home. In the past, the women had to leave Canada to find a pro team, thus missing out on domestic sponsorship deals.
B次元官网网址淥ne of the hardest things I had as an athlete was to really try to build those partnerships,B次元官网网址� she said in an interview. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one thing to be here once a year do a photo shoot and B次元官网网址楬urray this is awesome.B次元官网网址� But to actually build something over time and have brands be able to actually access these athletes consistently, as well as for these athletes to build that relationship and connection to community, itB次元官网网址檚 a fantastic experience for them. And they are so excited for that opportunityB次元官网网址�
And Labbe suggested that Canada could actually benefit from being one of the last of the womenB次元官网网址檚 elite soccer powers to create a domestic league, having learned from others.
B次元官网网址淲e get to start in a much better place and build a much better foundation so that we can grow and catch up to them in a much faster way,B次元官网网址� she told the audience. B次元官网网址淎nd hopefully avoid a lot of the mistakes that they made over the years.B次元官网网址�
The NSL and team officials were in town for two days of separate meetings, marking the first the that club owners, presidents and sporting directors have come together in advance of the six-team circuitB次元官网网址檚 startup.
The agenda includes finalizing league competition rules, prioritizing safe-sport initiatives and reviewing the leagueB次元官网网址檚 2025 business plan.
The closed meetings will include an address by Kevin Blue, Canada SoccerB次元官网网址檚 chief executive officer and general secretary, as well as a visit to FIFAB次元官网网址檚 2026 World Cup office in Toronto on Thursday to get an update on tournament plans.
WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 panel came 132 days before the leagueB次元官网网址檚 kickoff, said NSL president Christina Litz.
The meetings include PortugalB次元官网网址檚 Jose Maria Celestino da Costa, the NSLB次元官网网址檚 head of soccer operations who landed in Canada this week. He arrives from Estoril Praia, a menB次元官网网址檚 top-tier club in Portugal, and the Portuguese Soccer Federation, helping establish the womenB次元官网网址檚 league there.
New board chair Mark Cohon, who served as CFL commissioner from 2007 to January 2015, is also on hand.
