Women’s professional sports are a growing phenomenon around the world, and Canada is increasingly getting into the action.
Following the launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey League this year with three of the six teams from Canadian cities, another six Canadian women’s teams have applied to join a new national Division 1 women’s soccer league in the country.
Called Project 8, it will be the first national professional women’s soccer league Canada has ever seen and is a “big deal,” women’s sports advocates told Global News.
So far, Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary have announced they have applied for the league, and three more teams will be revealed in the coming weeks, according to Project 8. The league will launch in 2025 and features Canadian Tire, CIBC, DoorDash. and Air Canada as founding partners.
“The timing (for its launch) couldn’t be better with the growth in viewership and popularity of women’s sports in general,” Kim Brassor, founder and CEO of Oakville-based Future Girls Soccer, told Global News. Ont.
“If the right business partners and players come in, I think it will be a great venture for Canada Soccer.”
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Brassor helps coach soccer for girls ages eight to 12 and said having a professional league in Canada will be a big inspiration for the players. Before Project 8, the only hope to play the sport professionally would be to go to other countries to play in their leagues, she said.
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Now the goal of playing professionally will be much more tangible and will provide young players with role models, according to Brassor.
The new league is being created by retired Olympic player Diana Matheson and her business partner, Thomas Gilbert. This comes as women’s sports are rapidly gaining popularity around the world, according to Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, executive director of the nonprofit Canadian Women and Sport.
“It’s a global phenomenon,” he said. “Fandom is growing in terms of viewership online, on television, social media engagement and event attendance.”
Nielsen reported in July 2023 that interest in women’s sports is growing at a “meteoric pace,” with the NCAA Women’s Division final game between Iowa and LSU. reaching a record of 9.9 million views103 percent more than the previous year. Deloitte predicts elite women’s sports will surpass $1 billion in revenue in 2024 for the first time.
Sandmeyer-Graves said Canada is really behind in terms of women’s sports offerings compared to other places like the United States and Europe, and says there is a huge opportunity for investment and partnerships. She said female athletes are now building their own profiles and fan bases similar to how male athletes have done for decades, and brands are taking notice.
The new league will only help with growth by creating more visibility and airtime, he said.
“That investors see the business opportunity that (women’s sports) represents and start investing their money in it is making a profound difference,” he said. “There is a tremendous business opportunity here that has not yet been exploited.”
Growing interest in women’s sports
Similar to how local sports, like the Raptors G-League in Mississauga, are making their own inroads, women’s sports are offering their own spin that fans seem to be devouring.
Brassor said the stands are constantly filled at games, and often it’s families hoping to provide some inspiration for their children. But it shows not only inspiration but real talent, he noted.
“It’s a great game,” he said. “When you see it, you’re entertained.”
However, obstacles still exist for women’s sports. Sandmeyer-Graves mentioned that sports have been dominated by men for so long that there is a “gender bias” in decision-making and policy, as leadership in sports remains largely male.
Women’s sports, along with sports in general, have also faced high-profile issues of sexual abuse and misconduct that have been uncovered in recent years, including in water polo, gymnastics and hockey.
Both Sandmeyer-Graves and Brassor say there is still a long way to go to eradicate the problem completely.
“We have to stand up for victims and give them a neutral place where they can tell their truth without being victimized again,” Brassor said. “We’re not there yet.”
