The Professional Women’s Hockey League recently launched its activities and the hope of seeing a similar soccer league is very real. But it will be without CF Montreal.
At least for the moment.
When she stepped to the lectern to share the eighth overall pick in the LPHF draft, Ottawa’s, former Canadian soccer player Diana Matheson had a front-row seat to see just how long-term efforts can report.
The instigator of Project 8, a Canadian professional women’s soccer league that aims to launch in 2025, is likely hoping her group’s efforts will achieve the same results.
In April, AFC Toronto City became the third founding team of this new league, joining the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Calgary Foothills. Matheson’s goal is to have eight training courses divided into two associations.
For the moment, no one has come forward in Quebec and CF Montreal intends to play an observer role more than a player role when it comes to professional women’s soccer.
However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to be involved in some way.
Having recently taken the reins of Soccer Québec’s Excel Women’s Program (PEF), the Bleu-blanc-noir wants to focus on the development of young girls to direct them towards the university ranks, the Canadian national team and, who knows, a future Montreal Project 8 team led by local investors.
“We want to stay in these age groups, the U15 and U17, for the short term. We want to be an academy for a future team, but also an academy for girls to get to the university level. We want girls to be able to dream of the national team, to play professionally at home and maybe even move on to a big team in Europe. We want them to be able to continue playing their sport as long as possible,” said CF Montreal President and CEO Gabriel Gervais.
“The desire at the moment is to increase the footprint of women within the organization and in the field, at different levels. Efforts are being made more towards the Academy and to grow this program,” added Samia Chebeir, vice-president and CEO of marketing and communications of the team.
This development ambition is laudable on the part of the club, but is it enough to put women’s soccer at the forefront in the province? Maybe.
Former Canadian player and CF Montreal Academy collaborator Amy Walsh believes that to give all the options to young girls from Quebec, the team will have to do a little more on the professional level.
“When Project 8 was mentioned, Gabriel (Gervais) told me that the club would invest in development and that the professional option was not being considered. I accept it, but I’m going to keep pushing for it, because I think it’s important to have a presence in there. If you want to comment on development, you can’t just put blinders on and ignore what’s happening above. You need to make a connection,” Walsh said.
“If there is a team in Quebec, then Gabriel told me that the team would try to create a link to facilitate the development of young girls and to direct them towards the professional ranks,” she continued.
No one has talked about it explicitly within the Montreal squad, but the crux of the matter when it comes to women’s sport is often monetary.
Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter and his wife Kimbra, who are financial supporters of the LPHF, said at the league’s launch that a lot of money would be invested, and that they were prepared to absorb the costs to ensure its sustainability.
The owners of the NHL did not want to get involved in the conflict between the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) and the National Women’s Hockey League (LCHF). They left a door open regarding the LPHF.
In women’s basketball, the NBA pumped several million dollars into keeping the WNBA afloat – it took a while for the women’s league to see its teams become profitable.
As for Project 8, corporate partners already involved include Air Canada, Canadian Tire, CIBC and DoorDash Canada.
The fee for obtaining a team in the new women’s league is currently set at 1 million CAN, and it is estimated that between 8 and 10 million in total capital invested over the first five seasons – in addition to the others necessary expenses, including those for renting infrastructure. Owners become shareholders in the league, as well as their own team.
Walsh would of course like to see more North American investment in women’s soccer. She believes that the recent Women’s Soccer World Cup demonstrated the quality of the game, but also that there is something to be gained by showing interest.
“I think investors view women’s sports as a charity, and they believe they won’t see any financial return. If there are investments, there will certainly be supporters. Not just families and young girls. We saw quality, tactics, organized teams at the World Cup. It was exciting. There we are going to miss the boat. We are late on this. These young girls can be role models for everyone,” Walsh said.
The contribution of a professional league is also felt at the international level. Thirteen of the 23 Canadians at the World Cup were playing in Europe when the tournament kicked off, including nine in England. Captain Christine Sinclair was one of eight players to play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The other two players wore the colors of an American university.
Failing to get involved professionally in Project 8, CF Montreal hopes that the new league will allow Canadians to return home, like the NWSL in the United States, and to develop players in the country.
“I really wish Project 8 could do it. We want to be a talent incubator for the Canadian national team or for a professional team here. This is essential for development; there need to be more platforms in place. We see that very favorably,” expressed Gervais.
The president and CEO of CF Montreal also believes that there is enough room in the world of professional sports for the arrival of another league, like Project 8.
“If I draw a parallel with the Canadian Premier League, it is an entity independent of the MLS which has its own league in the country. I don’t see why Project 8 couldn’t do it. A bit like the NWSL. I think there’s room for that,” concluded Gervais.
