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Decorated footy veterans Desiree Scott (right) and Rob Gale are on a mission for Manitoba to be awarded an expansion team in 2027.<\/p>\n
But while the league itself turns two years old, Scott enlisted veteran footy coach Rob Gale two years prior about the idea of bringing the league to the Keystone province.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to be involved in year one,\u201d Scott said. \u201cDidn\u2019t quite happen, but now we are both back home, taking on this project head-on.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to her decorated and record-breaking tenure on the Canadian women\u2019s national team, four-time Olympian Scott has been a large part of successful women\u2019s soccer leagues, including the National Women\u2019s Soccer League \u2014 playing 10 seasons with Kansas City and Utah \u2014 and the NSL as a part of the inaugural Ottawa Rapid season. Gale, the former NWSL Portland Thorns coach, was all in for an assist on pitching a Winnipeg club.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen that reality that Desi was coming home, I said, \u2018Right, it\u2019s time for me and her to partner up and bring a professional football club to Winnipeg,\u2019\u201d Gale said.<\/p>\n
Gale added it is a shame that in the year of the 2026 FIFA World Cup being co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, when the eyes of the world will be on Canadian soccer, Winnipeg won\u2019t have a team to showcase. But the dynamic duo has hope the current demand for women\u2019s sports will help an NSL team be successful in the \u2019Peg.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing right now is obviously a real demand for women\u2019s sports, in terms of viewership,\u201d Scott said, noting the record-breaking success of the Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League in its third season and the expansion of the WNBA \u2014 which will be celebrating its 30th season this year \u2014 into Canada with the addition of the Toronto Tempo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen that reality that Desi was coming home, I said, \u2018Right, it\u2019s time for me and her to partner up and bring a professional football club to Winnipeg.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott also notes the difference of the NSL from other leagues, as it is operated \u201cby people who have played the sport, who are invested completely in women\u2019s sport and want it to successful for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
The biggest oversight Scott sees currently is the lack of professional women\u2019s sports anywhere near the Prairies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re the heart of Canada, so why not Winnipeg?\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you have a great recipe for success right here in Winnipeg.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moreover, as Gale added, the NSL has already established itself as a Top-5 league globally.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t John Woods \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Winnipeg\u2019s Desiree Scott (11) celebrates a goal at Princess Auto Stadium last summer against Haiti. It was Scott\u2019s final game wearing the Maple Leaf before retiring. <\/p>\n \u201cWith wages, with the salary caps, the ability to bring in designated players, the investment level at the league level, the sponsorship is vastly different to the Canadian Premier League,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a sports city, we are a soccer city, it just needs to be done properly,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s long overdue that we had professional women\u2019s sports in this part of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Gale isn\u2019t wrong. March\u2019s PWHL Takeover Tour game was the first pro women\u2019s sports game ever hosted in Winnipeg. An NSL team would be the first pro women\u2019s sports team in the city.<\/p>\n Does this also mean fans could see \u201cThe Destroyer\u201d come out of retirement for a potential inaugural Winnipeg club\u2019s season?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not looking to play,\u201d Scott said with a laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re the heart of Canada, so why not Winnipeg?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough it\u2019s always been a dream to play professionally in my city, but at least I can be involved with a team and a professional environment here, if it does come here, and kind of find pride in bringing that opportunity to other local Manitobans who have a dream of playing pro here.\u201d<\/p>\n What about former Canadian men\u2019s youth program head coach Gale?<\/p>\n \u201cNo intention to coach,\u201d Gale said.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to help [the league] grow and give others the opportunity on the coaching side. Desi and I, it\u2019s making sure that management, leadership, ownership are the right people, good people, to make sure that we not only start a professional women\u2019s team in Winnipeg, but we\u2019re very competitive on and off the field and here for the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n But what would that look like? And what problems are there to tackle for a women\u2019s Winnipeg club to be successful?<\/p>\n \u201cI think atmosphere and success, that those things go hand in hand,\u201d Scott said. \u201cYou have to create the right environment with the right capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t SUPPLIED<\/p>\n Veteran soccer coach Rob Gale emphasized that a Winnipeg Northern Super League franchise would be the first pro women\u2019s league in the city.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of our main targets is to create our own \u2014 in the interim \u2014 a temporary 6,000-seater-type stadium that can be built to maybe 10-11,000 for bigger events. But we want, again, that in-demand, that up-close-in-the-action atmosphere, that\u2019s purpose built for us to start, and obviously long-term goals.\u201d<\/p>\n The pop-up stadium has been a success for the Montreal Roses. The 5,581-seat Stade Bor\u00e9ale can be \u201cpacked up\u201d in the off-season, which makes room for yearly renovations and improvements to stands and locker rooms.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you looked at Halifax and Montreal, and what you can do in these modular stadiums right now is really fantastic. And what we will bring here into a great location, and a sort of centralised location, ideally, is a multi-million dollar investment,\u201d Gale said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just at these final stages right now where we need some more local support to show everybody across the league that we are here, we mean business, and the community is right behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott and Gale both understand that fans are curious about what will be different about the NSL, but emphasize the importance of community support to make the club a success for the long term.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a league for Canadians by Canadians, and we want Winnipeggers to fall in love with this team and support it wholeheartedly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a league for Canadians by Canadians, and we want Winnipeggers to fall in love with this team and support it wholeheartedly,\u201d Scott said, doubling down that local investors, especially women, will be key to the league\u2019s success.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen supporting women is important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur opportunity here, to bring professional soccer back to Winnipeg \u2014 and especially professional women\u2019s sports, the first-ever franchise \u2014 is a unique opportunity,\u201d Gale said, emphasizing their goal is to have \u201ctop-level women\u2019s sports on our doorstep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s 2026, come on Winnipeg,\u201d he said, teasing, \u201c#WhyNotWinnipeg.\u201d<\/p>\n Start printing the T-shirts.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Sammy Kogan \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n The Vancouver Rise FC won the inaugural Northern Super League championship against AFC Toronto last November. <\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/graceannepaizen<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t Grace Anne Paizen Grace oversees the team that produces sports journalism for the Free Press.<\/p>\n
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Sports Editor
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