Scott makes pitch for Winnipeg club

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This article was published 26/01/2026 (213 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Desiree Scott is leading a strong charge to bring professional women’s soccer to her hometown.

Winnipeg native and Olympic gold medallist told the Free Press recently that the Canadian-based Northern Super League is planning to expand to a seventh team in 2027, and that Winnipeg is on the list of potential destinations.

“Expansion, for sure, is happening in ’27, either central or west, and that’s been confirmed where the new team is going to be,” said Scott, who retired from professional soccer last year after playing in the NSL with Ottawa Rapid FC.

“I’m personally pushing to try and bring it to Winnipeg.”

The NSL completed its inaugural season last fall, and experienced tremendous success, raking in $30 million in league-wide revenue and ranking top-five globally in average attendance among women’s leagues.

Winnipeg was home to Valour FC, a pro men’s team in the Canadian Premier League, for seven years but the franchise was forced to cease operations after the 2025 season owing to a lack of revenue.

That hasn’t deterred Scott’s push, however, as she believes the provincial capital has a sustained thirst for the women’s game.

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The NSL’s six franchises are currently based in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Halifax and Ottawa.

The NSL has not made a statement on its expansion plans, but Diana Matheson, who is the CEO of the league’s founding organization Project 8, said an announcement on the location will come by the end of spring to allow the new franchise a full year to build up.

Matheson, who will be in Winnipeg with Scott Wednesday to promote her film The Pitch, endorsed her former teammate’s efforts to return pro soccer to the city.

“After you watch the movie,” Matheson said, “I wouldn’t bet against any of us former women’s national team players to do what we said we’re gonna do.”

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Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter

Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.

Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.