Vancouver Rise FC Kick off the Northern Super League
"Vancouver Rise FC win first ever women’s Northern Super League soccer match"
May 29th, 2025
By: Martin MacMahon, CTV News
Just last month, the Vancouver Rise FC held the inaugural game of the North American Super League, Canada’s first ever women’s high level professional league. The Rise hosted the Calgary Wild at BC Place with “an announced crowd of 14,018” (MacMahon, CTV). The new squad was able to come out on top, in a 1-0 victory over the visiting team, fueling the already ecstatic atmosphere. The only goal in the match came from a 22-minute penalty shot from Quinn, clinching Vancouver the win. The supporter's section, the Crow Collective, “marched down Robson Street, firing flares and chanting songs” (MacMahon, CTV) leading up to the match and plan to continue their fierce support for the team throughout the season playing at Swangard Stadium. Tanya Fader, a member of this supporter's section, explained how this team is an amazing source of new encouragement, opportunities, and engagement for young girls in the sport which is “something that’s been a struggle because there haven’t been those opportunities (in the past)” (MacMahon, CTV).
I attended this game just a month ago and witnessed an indescribable energy in the stadium full of hope, excitement, and inspiration. It was a milestone for women’s sports, and I was so grateful to have experienced it. Growing up playing soccer since I was 4 years old, I was only ever able to go watch local professional men’s games, but now with the formation of the new Northern Super League, watching women’s high-level sport can become a normalized occurrence. I am especially hopeful for the new generation of girls in soccer, as these professional role models can prove that pursuing a career in soccer is achievable for females in the game who want to play here in Canada. For the longest time, The United States or Europe was viewed as the ideal place for young female soccer players to start their professional careers, but now with this development of the Canadian league, the game can be played near home.
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