Project 8 officially announces six-team Canadian pro women’s soccer league

The GIST: Project 8 — the company founded by Canadian soccer star Diana Matheson to develop a domestic pro women’s soccer league in Canada — is officially ready for takeoff. Yesterday, Matheson unveiled the new name and branding for the six-team Northern Super League (NSL) with plans for an April 2025 kickoff. LFG.

The details: The NSL announced the launch of two additional clubs in Ottawa and Montreal, adding two teams in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Halifax. Each club is owned and operated by independent ownership groups, and the league itself will launch with four founding partners: Canadian Tire Corporation, DoorDash, CIBC, and Air Canada.

The format: The inaugural NSL season in 2025 will feature a 25-game regular season, followed by playoffs and a national championship. Similar to the PWHL, the NSL is stepping onto the pro scene with a salary cap structure and minimum salaries instead of building toward these elements like the NWSL did.

The name: The NSL was intentional about its name, likening the league to a “big bang” event that established a new “universe” for Canadian women’s soccer. Unlike the majority of pro women’s leagues, the NSL specifically omitted the word “women” from its name to put it on equal footing with men’s leagues. Additionally, the NSL colorway, font, and logo is inspired by the aurora borealis.

Zooming out: The NSL announcement adds to a long list of wins for Canadian women’s sports in the past year, from the launch of the PWHL to the announcement of a WNBA franchise in Toronto.

• And as recent data on Canadian women’s sports fans proves, this is the time and Canada is the place to start spending sports marketing dollars. From nothing will come everything.