“They will be one of the best teams on the circuit from Day 1,” said Diana Matheson, founder and CEO of Canada’s future professional women’s soccer league, in an interview with The Press.
The former double Canadian Olympic medalist does not speak in the conditional when she speaks on the subject of a potential professional club in La Belle Province. Rather, it selects the future and the imperative.
“We have to have a team there [au Québec]. The pool of female players in Quebec is enormous. There is so much talent in Quebec that we cannot miss it, ”she admitted.
Exactly. Is there enough interest in Quebec for one, or even two teams?
There is both a lot of interest and enthusiasm for the province of Quebec. We absolutely want there to be at least one team in Quebec to begin with. We think Montreal is a great market and we also think Quebec might be a great destination.
Diana Matheson, Founder and CEO of Project 8
The circuit, which operates as ‘Project 8’ pending an official name, will kick off in April 2025. In the meantime, there is a lot on the plate for Matheson and his partners. to arrive safely while meeting deadlines.
The presence of two formations has already been assured: the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Calgary Foothills, two male professional teams, have confirmed that they will create a female counterpart to their club. These two teams will play in the Western Association, which will consist of four clubs just like the Eastern Association.
The former midfielder wants to have all eight teams operational in December 2023 to give clubs a 16-month window to get their activities going.
“All of our best professional players play abroad. If we want to bring them back, we have to create a world-class professional league for them,” she explains.
In Quebec with or without the support of CF Montreal
Unlike the Whitecaps, who also play in MLS, the CFM confirmed in December that it was not in the cards for the Montreal men’s professional club to have a women’s team. The president of the CFM, Gabriel Gervais, pointed out that the team is currently too unprofitable to afford to embark on the adventure.
However, he did not close the door to collaboration: “If there is a professional team, whether it’s here in Montreal, whether it’s in Quebec City, we’ll definitely reach out to them for the help,” assured Gervais.
Matheson believes, however, that even if the investment in the league might have been a good idea for the Bleu-blanc-noir, she is not too worried regarding it.
If I had millions of dollars, I would buy a professional women’s soccer team. But if it’s not the right time for CF Montreal, it’s not the right time. We’re definitely interested in women being an integral part of ownership, whether it’s an individual owner or a group of owners.
Diana Matheson, Founder and CEO of Project 8
She explains that the future owners will have to pay $1 million to obtain the rights of an organization. However, she specifies that a total investment between 8 and 10 million over the first five years is “necessary to own and manage a world-class women’s soccer team”.
A valuable financial contribution
The maintenance of The Press with Matheson followed the announcement of Canadian Tire as the third founding partner for the circuit. The president hopes the league will go to eight associates by the end of the year.
“People are excited regarding the arrival of this women’s professional league. We can testify to the fervor of Canadian companies who want to support this project, so we are not too worried regarding being able to obtain the other partners this year,” she explained.
An official name before July
Matheson also revealed that the name of the circuit will be known ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July to August.
She mentioned that the circuit will work with an agency to find the appropriate name for the league. The code name “Project 8” will soon be in the water.
