Northern Super League raises the stakes for League1 Canada players

Six teams across Canada are preparing for life in the Northern Super League (NSL) as the inaugural season kicks off in April 2025. The logistical challenges involved in starting a football club from scratch ensure excitement and a degree of chaos as clubs evolve from nothing. Everything and everyone must be sourced in time for kick-off: supporters, sponsors, stadiums, coaches, and the most delicate ingredient of them all, the players. With a salary cap of $1.6 million and a minimum salary of $50,000, players must be signed with conviction in order to fulfill the NSL’s commitment of a competitive league.

Each squad consists of 20-25 players, with seven international roster spots for non-Canadian players, plus one salary-exempt spot that can also be used for a non-Canadian player. Despite plenty of room for domestic talent, the best Canadian talent cannot be lured by home comforts alone; American and European clubs offer incentives that go beyond this luxury, and that’s where most of the Canadian national team currently ply their trade.

Vancouver Rise utilised their non-salary roster spot by acquiring free agent and Canadian international Quinn after five years with NWSL outfit Seattle Reign. While Quinn is an excellent player, signing a free agent is easier than negotiating with the likes of Chelsea, Lyon, and Portland Thorns, all of whom possess other key members of the Canadian national team.

For context, Chelsea, of England’s WSL, has a soft salary cap that equals 40% of their turnover for the year. Revenue of CA$19.9 million in 2024 allows them a salary cap of nearly $8 million. To sign top Canadian talent such as Chelsea’s Ashley Lawrence on the basis of finances alone will be challenging in the first few years of NSL operation.

A handful of older Canadian players with international experience have made their way to the NSL: 37-year-old Desiree Scott reversed her retirement to sign for Ottawa Rapid, and 41-year-old Erin McLeod signed for Halifax Tides; both have over 100 caps for Canada. Unable to sign multiple stars of the national team, the Canadian players that the NSL requires are having to come from various other avenues. One of those is the League1 Canada system.

While the newly formed NSL is the light at the end of the tunnel for female Canadian soccer, the foundations had been partly laid through a growing network of provincial leagues. The provinces of Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta are all represented by the League1 Canada system, where 39 women’s teams compete across the four premier provincial leagues.

These teams consist of a variety of players, all with differing levels of experience and at different stages of their careers. Some are happy to play alongside their regular day jobs, while others dream of making it professionally.

For a long time, this is where things got tricky for young Canadians. With no professional league in Canada, there was no clear pathway to aim for. Professional dreams would only be made reality by foreign scouts and by travelling overseas for trials. Canada has not been starved of talent; there has just been a smaller pool of players progressing due to the logistical challenges and lack of accessibility in finding a professional club.

Until the confirmation of the NSL, League1 was the highest level of Canadian soccer available to female players. Last season, as League1 Canada interprovincial champions, League1 BC side Whitecaps Girls Elite were given a berth in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions Cup W. Up against top American, Mexican, and Central American teams, a slightly makeshift side made a good account of themselves, with certain players proving they could compete at a high level.

One star of their recent campaigns has been Jeneva Hernandez Gray, a skillful, dynamic forward who was called up to the Canadian national team at just 18 and who impressed in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Hernandez Gray’s signature was expected to be in tough competition between the NSL clubs, with locals Vancouver Rise the most likely to capture her. When Portuguese side Sporting CP announced the signing of the young Canadian, a kick in the gut was dealt to the NSL; the allure of European football had won, but the importance of the League1 system had shone through.

Despite missing out on Hernandez Gray, more than 45 players with League1 experience have been signed by NSL clubs. There was an expectation that NSL clubs would quickly snap up local talent, but that hasn’t been a guarantee. Jenaya Robertson, Emma Regan, Stella Downing are just some of the local talent that have featured in League1 BC, but not signed for locals Vancouver Rise, instead signing for Calgary, Toronto, and Ottawa, respectively.

These signings have not been exclusive to those with youth on their side either; a host of experienced over-25 League1 players are being given a later chance at a professional career. Ontario native Julia Benati has spent the majority of her career with League1 Ontario side FC London and, at the age of 28, became Ottawa Rapids first-ever signing. Registered chiropractor Benati will now have a few years to cement herself in the professional game. She’s not alone. Jade Kovacevic, Miranda Smith, and Megane Sauve are a few more over-25 players who will now be playing professionally after spells in the League1 system.

There was an element of unknown when the Whitecaps represented League1 Canada at the inaugural CONCACAF W Championship. They defeated Alianza in the preliminary round, and were then served up heavy defeats in the group stage by NWSL side Portland Thorns and Liga MX’s Club America. So too came respectable results. They beat Panamanian side Santa Fe 2-1 on the road and followed that up with a gutsy performance against a strong San Diego Wave, eventually going down 2-0.

All eyes will be on the NSL when it kicks off in mid-April. With strong crowds expected and a CBC and TSN TV audience, can the League1 recruits make an impact? Let the NSL unravelling begin.