The landscape of professional sports for women in Canada has metamorphosed into a vibrant tapestry of competition and opportunity in the year 2024. The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), Northern Super League (NSL), and the burgeoning presence of the WNBA on Canadian soil have marked this era as nothing less than revolutionary.
“It was inconceivable in 2023, a veritable void where professional women’s sports were concerned,” remarked Jayna Hefford, the senior vice-president of hockey operations for PWHL and a distinguished Hockey Hall of Famer. The narrative of 2024 unfolds through three distinct threads, each pulsating with its own unique rhythm and perspective.
The PWHL, a blend of three Canadian squads entwined with three from the United States, operates under a cohesive framework, centralized within the heart of North America’s eastern regions. Fueling this initiative is the financial prowess of Mark Walter, an American sports tycoon, whose vision underpins the league’s ambitious roadmap.
As the winds of change blow favorably, the WNBA welcomes the Toronto Tempo in 2026 — a milestone coinciding with the league’s 30th anniversary, under the savvy stewardship of Canadian mogul Larry Tanenbaum. Meanwhile, the NSL, poised for a grand kick-off in April 2025, represents a grassroots movement, uniting club owners across Canada who are eager to construct a league that resonates from coast to coast. With established icons like soccer star Christine Sinclair and former CFL commissioner Mark Cohon backing it, the NSL signifies a commitment to elevating women’s soccer on every front.
Diana Matheson, a co-founder of the NSL and former player for Canada’s national soccer team, highlighted an essential point: “The convergence of timing and cultural readiness is monumental.” It’s a sentiment echoed widely — the moment has arrived when women’s professional sports can no longer be dismissed as a niche; they have taken center stage, appreciated for their immense brand value and potential.
A post-pandemic societal awakening, coupled with the transformative power of social media and streaming technology, has reshaped the traditional paradigms of sports fandom. Data disclosing the growing interest in women’s games shatters long-standing misconceptions, heralding the birth of a robust sports ecosystem in Canada.
“It has transitioned from mere concepts and theories to tangible reality,” asserted Cheri Bradish of the Future of Sport Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University. “The market is not just ready; it has embraced this transformative wave of women’s sports, not just ethically, but through a savvy business lens.”
A revealing 2023 poll from Canadian Women and Sport indicated that two-thirds of Canadians are fans of women’s sports. This diverse and educated fan base holds significant promise for businesses eager to invest. Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO of CWS, expressed frustration at the narrow-minded critiques of women’s sports, now increasingly countered by empirical evidence.
“People are finally beginning to look beyond the myths and seize these promising opportunities,” she noted, hinting at the influx of wealthy investors recognizing the potential within this space.
Brian Levine, a sports agent entwined in the sponsorship dynamics of the NSL, underscored the evolution of investment patterns. “There are significant commitments being made, whether from individuals or coalitions,” he pointed out.
Corporate leaders like Canadian Tire are pivoting their sponsorship strategies, pledging to allocate half of their funding towards women’s professional sports by 2026. Kim Saunders, a key player in Canadian Tire’s sponsorship operations, articulated the necessity for tangible opportunities.
“The emergence of these leagues has opened the door for substantial investment,” she explained, revealing that Canadian Tire has secured multi-year partnerships with both the PWHL and NSL.
The intertwining of advertising needs and sports visibility underpins a critical element in the professional sports ecosystem. As Levine observed, “You need advertisers lined up before you can hit airwaves, given the associated costs.”
With the PWHL’s debut marking a watershed moment, excluxivity agreements with Canadian broadcasters signal a promising horizon. “The growth we’ve witnessed in just a year is nothing short of astonishing,” Saunders enthused, with optimism radiating toward the upcoming launch of the NSL and the presence of the Toronto Tempo.
A noteworthy narrative thread interweaves through the PWHL, NSL, and Toronto Tempo: the pivotal involvement of women in leadership roles, spearheading these initiatives. With figures like Hefford, Amy Scheer, Christina Litz, and Therese Resch navigating the operational mazes, there’s a palpable shift.
Matheson astutely remarked, “The presence of women at the helm has undoubtedly shifted the dynamic.” With a collective belief in Canada’s capacity to excel in women’s sports, the ecosystem is poised for exponential growth, signaling that this is just the beginning of a thrilling journey ahead.
