An announcement by Wanderers F.C. last week voiced a commitment by the club to launch Atlantic Canada’s first-ever women’s semi-professional soccer team in 2024.
This marks the first League1 teams, both for men and women, to be confirmed in the Maritimes.
“We really think it’s important,” said Wanderers F.C. president and founder Derek Martin.
“One of the main reasons that the Wanderers was created was to give male athletes better opportunities to develop and improve our national team. We see the same opportunities on the female side and want to do our part to help move that forward, and really feel like League1 is the right first step.”
As September fast approaches, university and college teams are practicing ahead of the upcoming season — including Saint Mary’s University (SMU) coach Marisa Colzie.
“This will help elevate the talent in the area, help give them another stepping stone to, maybe, the national team,” said Colzie.
“We’d love to see a Maritimer on that Canadian national team.”
‘It’s about time’
Colzie says she appreciates people showing interest in the women’s game, stating that it’s nice to see people starting to recognize the value in what they do.
“We have a great soccer community, especially in Halifax,” Colzie said. “Really strong soccer at the youth level, at the university level and now at the League1 level. I think that it will just really continue to grow the game in our area.”
Martin hopes for the same.
“I’ve always been a big believer in testing things and finding out, so this will be a great way to see if the support is there that we hear about,” Martin said. “From the excitement around the announcement, I have to think there’s going to be some great support for this team.”
That excitement is felt by Halifax-raised players Allie Martin and Charlotte Baines, who both play for SMU.
“Growing up I saw the talent of a lot of local AAA players, but they were never able to break it to go somewhere further,” said winger Martin.
“Especially being from Nova Scotia and these Maritime provinces, it’s really hard to be seen. So, within this League1 system they’ll be able to compete in the League1 interprovincial and to be seen by a lot of the national coaches.”
It’s a point that centre midfielder Baines reiterates.
“For a long time we kind of looked at university like that was the end,” Baines said. “You play your four or five years and then you go get a job and that’s it.
“This really, like, extends the game to where you can grow to even further levels and really progress the game to something that we never thought would happen for my age.”
A coach herself, Baines says the U12 girls she teaches are seeing the possibilities available to them through these advances.
“I think it even makes them work harder,” Baines said. “It’s not just, ‘Oh you know, university, that’s where I want to get to.’ You have something where you can push further.”
Colzie agrees that is completes a pathway, “You have something to strive for.”
The Halifax Wanderers are the first, and only, team so far to announce their intent to create League1 men’s and women’s teams.
“Part of the reason we wanted to come out and make our announcement of our intent to put these teams in was to help anyone who was maybe on the fence to make that leap themselves,” Martin said.
He wants to see a full Atlantic league featuring teams from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. come spring — with between six to eight teams.
“Now our youth get to go downtown and watch a women’s professional team,” Colzie said with a smile. “It’s not on television, these are hometown heroes. These are community stories and someone that they can actually see, right? Live.
“There is a difference when you can actually be at a live game and see your hometown heroes. It means something to a community, and it really inspires a community.”
While there are still many moving parts, Martin has committed to a women’s team for 2024 that will play at a smaller venue than the Wanderer’s grounds for its first year.
“We want to walk before we run, we want to do this right,” said Martin. “The biggest thing for us is that this is sustainable — that when we launch it, it stays around for a really long time and can be a great success for both us and the athletes participating.”
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