It\u2019s yet another milestone in what\u2019s been an eventful past few weeks for Toronto women\u2019s sports teams, which have seen an outpour of support and enthusiasm from fans.<\/p>\n
The Toronto Tempo had its first-ever game on Wednesday<\/a> at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Though the pre-season tipoff resulted in a 83-78 loss to the Connecticut Sun, the Tempo\u2019s debut saw an electric sellout crowd of 8,210 and long lines at merch stands.<\/p>\n The Hamilton-born-and-raised guard for the Tempo, Tia Nurse, scored the team\u2019s first bucket.\u00a0 And, despite the loss, the crowd greeted the final buzzer with a standing ovation.<\/p>\n The Toronto Sceptres fell short of a playoff spot<\/a> in the Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League (PWHL) after a shutout game by the Ottawa Charge in April. Attendance for PWHL games this season increased 62 per cent from the league\u2019s inaugural season.<\/p>\n Ruken said the women\u2019s professional sports teams in the city share the same goal of giving athletes a place to play in Canada, so they work to support each other. For example, she said Tempo players attend AFC Toronto games.<\/p>\n \u201cWe lift each other up,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n New teams bring new opportunities, experts say<\/p>\n The city\u2019s women\u2019s sports teams are relatively new to the city, which could be a draw for sports fans, said Alyson Walker, a board member for WISE Toronto, a professional network for women in sport.<\/p>\n She said it’s a way for people who are new to the sports world to become a fan of a team and makes existing sports-lovers feel like they\u2019re getting in on the ground floor of what could become a long-standing institution.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you find with a lot of fans \u2026 is this sense of ownership [over the team] because they were part of building fandom. They were part of going to first games,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The teams\u2019 popularity could have lasting effects across the city, according to Cheri Bradish, a professor of sports marketing at Toronto Metropolitan University. She said their success could lead to more sports infrastructure in the city, an increase in sports programming and open doors for more women to work in the industry.<\/p>\n \u201cIt creates that, \u2018If you see it, you can be it\u2019 attitude,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt creates, hopefully, participants and athletes, who really can see sport as an opportunity and avenue for growth and a professional career, which [it] hasn’t been in the past,\u201d said Bradish.<\/p>\n While the hype around Toronto women\u2019s sports is growing, there\u2019s been a push recently to make sure their representation in, and access to, spaces keeps up.<\/p>\n The new practice facility for The Toronto Tempo practice facility will be built on an \u201cunderused\u201d parking lot at Exhibition place, the team’s president Teresa Resch and other officials announced at Coca-Cola Coliseum on April 17. (Oksana Shtohryn\/CBC)<\/p>\n![\"Teresa](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f32d11b85d848701e19f26b844995a0b.jpeg\"\/)
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