Ahead of its 2025 launch the new Canadian women’s soccer competition Northern Super League (NSL) has announced a new partnership with BMO Financial Group, the North American banking firm.
BMO becomes the official bank if the NSL, and will serve as the presenting partner for all of its game broadcasts.
Go deeper with GlobalData
It will also gain prominent branding presence on-field across all 75 NSL regular season and post-season playoff games, and finals, with the pair to collaborate on activations through the season, including at games.
NSL president Christina Litz said: “This league investment from BMO ensures that fans across the country can experience the passion and high level of play while helping to drive visibility and growth for professional women's soccer in Canada."
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.
Across Canada, the NSL will be shown nationally on broadcasters TSN and RDS, the Bell Media-owned sports networks, as well as national public service broadcaster CBC/Radio Canada,
The NSL has also secured broadcast coverage in the US with major sports network ESPN, which will cover 40 NSL games live on its ESPN+ streaming service, including the finals.
BMO has positioned itself as the “official bank of soccer” in recent years, and holds several sponsorships in the sport including with Canadian major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps, having also supported the 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cup, and Concacaf Nations League Finals and Gold Cup men’s competitions, also in 2023.
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.
The NSL will receive $1 million annually from Canada Soccer, matching what the national governing body gives the men's Canadian Premier League.
The league's other founding corporate partners include Canadian Tire, DoorDash, CIBC, and Air Canada.
