2 weeks Ago By Gord Holder, Postmedia
Who is Ottawa Rapid FC? The brand-new Northern Super League, Canada’s first women’s professional soccer circuit, made Ottawa Rapid FC one of its six charter franchises. The 25-player squad will commence its 2025 season at 1 p.m.
on April 27 at home against Vancouver Rise FC at TD Place stadium. Is this Ottawa’s first professional women’s soccer franchise? Yes, but context is required. Between 2003 and 2014, Ottawa Fury FC competed in the W-League, also known as the USL W-League, claiming 10 division titles, three conference titles and a 2012 league crown, though it wasn’t a professional side because players weren’t paid salaries.
Success between the lines wasn’t matched by attendance figures, however, and in December 2014 Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group made a financially motivated decision to shutter the women’s squad . Ottawa Rapid FC players will be paid as professional athletes. Each roster will have a season salary cap of $1.
6 million, with the minimum salary being $50,000, and every club will be allowed one marquee player whose compensation doesn’t count against the cap. How did Rapid FC land in Ottawa? The national capital was one of six cities included in the debut season of the Northern Super League, co-founded by Diana Matheson, a former Canadian women’s team stalwart and, coincidentally, a former Fury FC player. The NSL is owned by its member clubs, with Matheson and league co-founder Tom Gilbert holding an ownership stake in Ottawa Rapid FC and Gilbert serving as the franchise’s chief executive officer.
Other investors include Seth Boro, Jen Hamilton and Rapid FC chief sport officer Heidi Bloomfield as well as local business leaders David Renfroe, Chris Riddoch and Kyle Braatz. A community investor group, also announced in March, included Peter Di Maso, Stephen and Tandy Thomas, Isabelle Perreault, Giovanni Toscano, Jason Dashnay, Jason Flick, Angela Goodfellow and Ben Hart. What’s with the uniform? Here’s how Rapid FC describes its badge and team colours: The Ottawa Rapid FC home kit is a visual testament to speed, power, and the raw beauty of nature.
A deep, almost mysterious black forms the base, tinted with subtle hues of green and blue that evoke the rugged landscapes and dynamic spirit of the region. Bright accents cut through the dark, like flashes of lightning on the horizon, reminding opponents of the rapid force that defines this team. Large textural elements add depth and motion to the design, making every sprint and tackle feel like part of a relentless natural phenomenon.
This kit speaks to the unyielding pace of Ottawa Rapid FC — a force that cannot be stopped. Jerseys for all NSL clubs were released at the same time, on March 20, so sales began only a handful of weeks before regular-season play commenced. As always, jersey sales will matter to Rapid FC in a business sense, “but it’s also part of our identity,” says Stephanie Spruston, the team’s chief operating officer.
Tell me more about the Northern Super League. The all-Canadian NSL has five other clubs for its first season: Halifax Tides FC Montreal Roses FC AFC Toronto Calgary Wild FC Vancouver Rise FC Each team will play 25 games in a schedule beginning in April and ending with the playoffs in November. What about non-league competition? None in 2025.
Is there a men’s professional soccer league in Canada? Yes, the Canadian Premier League has eight franchises, including Atlético Ottawa . How is Rapid FC doing this season? Did it win its last game? Everything is new this year, and the first chance for Rapid FC to hunt down a victory will come April 27 at home against Vancouver Rise FC . What’s the vibe fans can expect at a home game? “Because we’ve got lots of games — seven games — on weekends and some games on weeknights, we’ll tailor the vibe towards that,” says Stephanie Spruston, Rapid FC’s chief operating officer.
“So a Saturday afternoon game will be very much a family- and community-focused approach of areas for kids to play. Similar to that (Atlético Ottawa) situation where you’ve got some areas for the kids to go and play. “I would love to have a kids supporters section or kids supporters group, just to start getting them into that vibe.
I think we’ll have some options. “On Friday nights, it might be a little bit more of a party atmosphere that we’ll approach for those nights. And then Wednesday nights, again a whole other approach because people are coming straight from work, they’re coming straight from school.
We’ve got to make sure that they’re fed that they’re comfortable and able to get into the building pretty quickly.” In some ways, it’s harder to start creating a fan-friendly environment in Year 1 than it would be to learn from that and build on it for Year 2 and beyond. For example, everyone working for Rapid FC at home games will be in their first season, just like the team is.
“But, in a sense, it’s nice because you’re starting with a blank slate. There’s no expectation that it be exactly the same as Atlético or that it be exactly the same as any other sporting event that they have been to in Ottawa. We can be creative,” Spruston says.
Are there for activities for kids at the pitch? Count on it. “The beauty of TD Place is there’s lots of space, so there’s lots of areas that we can activate with games,” Spruston says. “We’ll try not to have a lot of the games and activities for youth during the game because people in the soccer world, they’re purists and they love to come and watch the game.
” That said, expect most of the activities to be conducted pre-game and at half-time, including mini-games for youth squads, plus an inflatable play structure zone. According to Spruston, “kid-friendly” is going to be important for Rapid FC. “The beauty of the women’s sports movement is almost like the Taylor Swift effect, where adults and parents that played sports, they’re kids are now coming in and playing the same sports that they played, so it’s something that they’re doing together.
They’re going to the Taylor Swift concert together, they’re going to sporting events together and connecting on the shared experiences of doing that,” she says. “I think that’s really what we want to highlight and tap into.” How do I get Rapid FC tickets and what’s the price point? Click here for the link to ticket webpage.
Single-game tickets were to go on sale near the end of March, starting with a “get in” price of $30, including taxes and fees, with additional group-ticket discounts. Eight-game packs (you select which eight games you want) are also available. Season tickets have been on sale since last November.
Adults: $339-$679 based on location in the stadium, taxes and fees included. Children: $169-$339 based on location, taxes and fees included (must be next to an adult ticket holder). There are also premium areas, such as the Flight Deck ground-level patio area on the north side of the pitch, as well as Club Level and Suites in the southside grandstand.
“A theme for us this year is to just make sure there’s lots of choice because one size doesn’t fit all on this stuff,” says Spruston. “We want to make sure there are lots of options for people.” What’s the 2025 Rapid FC home game schedule? Are there theme nights? April 27, 1 p.
m.: vs AFC Toronto May 15, 7 p.m.
: vs Vancouver Rise FC May 25, 2 p.m.: vs Montreal Roses FC June 14, 3 p.
m: vs Montreal Roses FC June 21, 2 p.m. : vs Calgary Wild FC July 25, 7:30 p.
m. : vs Halifax Tides FC Aug. 9, 4 p.
m. : vs Calgary Wild FC Aug. 13, 7 p.
m. : vs AFC Toronto Aug. 21, 2 p.
m. : vs Vancouver Rise FC Aug. 28, 7 p.
m. : vs Halifax Tides FC Sept. 7, 12 noon : vs Montreal Roses FC Sept.
26, 7 p.m. : vs AFC Toronto Oct.
8, 7:30 p.m. : vs Vancouver Rise FC Bet you didn’t know that.
.. “I hesitate to say surprise, but it’s really good soccer,” Spruston says.
“If you were at the Women’s World Cup (in 2015), or, if you’ve been to a national team game to watch them play, it’s excellent soccer. “If you’re a soccer fan and you’re a soccer purist, you know that. But maybe some people that are coming to a game don’t necessarily know the style of play that women offer.
It’s a fast, continuous, hard game.” Another way to put it, according to Spruston, is that it’s “different soccer” than what men play. “These are the best women,” she says.
“Our goal is to be one of the best leagues in the world, so we are attracting some of the best women’s players in the world.” Who is the star player? The highest profile among all Rapid FC players is that of midfielder Desiree Scott, a four-time Canadian Olympian who signed with the club in mid-January. Scott, who will turn 38 in July, was part of the national side that won a gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games after earning bronze in 2012 at London and in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro.
Nicknamed “The Destroyer,” she made her senior national team debut in 2010. From Winnipeg, Scott is also coming off a 12-year stint in the National Women’s Soccer League, including as a founding member of the Kansas City Current. Before that, her professional career included time with the Utah Royals (2018-2020), FC Kansas City (2013, 2016-2017), Notts County (2014-2015), and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2006, 2010-2012).
What can I get to eat at a Rapid FC game? As a tenant of TD Place, Rapid FC starts out with offerings similar to those available to BlackJacks, Redblacks, Atlético and 67’s contests, but Spruston has talked with the food provider about Rapid-specific options, including a Rapid Cocktail. “Chips and curry, to me that screams ‘soccer,'” she says. “Then, upstairs we’re trying a few different things up in the club zone in terms of having an area that is optional to come in and have a small buffet.
” How can I watch games from home? All Rapid FC regular-season matches will be available in one fashion or another in 2025. In English, TSN will air nine games, while CBC will broadcast two. In French, RDS will provide live broadcast coverage of Rapid FC matches against Montreal Roses FC, and Radio-Canada will air two matches live simultaneously on its linear network, ICI TÉLÉ, and its streaming platform, ICI TOU.
TV. Fans will also be able to stream matches on NSL.ca and TSN+ or CBC Gem.
The complete schedule is available online at NSL.ca/broadcast ..
