Sports broadcasting heavyweight ESPN has secured rights in the US to Canadian women's soccer's Northern Super League (NSL) competition, which gets underway this month.
Through a multi-year deal, the ESPN+ streaming service will cover 40 NSL games live, including select playoff games, and the end-of-season final.
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The inaugural edition of the NSL begins on April 16, as Vancouver Rise takes on Calgary Wild at 7pm local time (10pm Eastern Time).
The six-team league – also containing Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, and AFC Toronto – will run through November 15.
This tie-up marks a key moment in the development of the NSL, which has now secured a broadcast partner in one of the most mature women's soccer markets worldwide.
Christina Litz, president of the Northern Super League, said: “This is a significant moment for women’s soccer in Canada and beyond, as it further elevates the profile of our league, our players, and the sport itself. ESPN’s commitment to showcasing the best in women’s sports makes them an ideal partner for our expansion into the US market.”
The NSL is the brainchild of former Canada national women's team player Diana Matheson (who is now the NSL's chief growth officer) and was first unveiled as a concept in late 2022.
The new competition is owned equally by the clubs, with Matheson's group (Project 8) also holding an ownership share.
In terms of domestic media rights, TSN and RDS, the Bell Media-owned sports networks, as well as national public service broadcaster CBC/Radio Canada, are the league's Canadian partners.
The league's founding corporate partners, meanwhile, include Canadian Tire, DoorDash, CIBC, and Air Canada.
The NSL will receive $1 million annually from Canada Soccer, matching what the national governing body gives the men's Canadian Premier League.
Sonia Gomez Baker, ESPN’s senior director for programming and acquisitions, added: “We are glad to be a media home in the US for the Northern Super League and its marquee footballers. Professional women’s soccer is an ascendant sport, and the Northern Super League further cements our leadership in the category.”
In terms of ESPN's stable of women's soccer rights, the sports broadcaster also holds rights to several games each season from the National Women’s Soccer League in the US, through a major deal struck in November 2023.
In addition, ESPN+ covers the English Women’s Super League, in a deal that also stretches across Latin America and the Caribbean and was unveiled last September.
