Winnipeg expansion team, led by Desiree Scott, set to become NSL's 7th franchise

The Northern Super conference has proclaimed that its 7th team up in the women’s conference will be situated in Winnipeg.

The first expansion team in NSL history will kick off in the 2027 season but is preparing for pre-season that typically begins in February 2027.

What we do know is that the newest NSL team will be in the heart of the country and is co-founded by two popular soccer figures from the Prairie province: Olympic gold medallist with CanWNT and retired NSL player Desiree Scott, and storied coach Rob Gale — the first head coach and general manager of Valour FC of the now-shuttered CPL team in Winnipeg.

Scott and Gale have combined forces to create the first professional women’s team in Manitoba.

The expansion news comes on the heels of a $30 million investment from APEX, an international sports investment firm, puts the league in a strong position in its sophomore year.

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League president Christina Litz says that the expansion team is right on schedule, and important to fans, players and competition.

“We want eight clubs by 2028. We know what impact having a pro women's team has on inspiring the next-gen players and we have said from the beginning that we want our league to be a catalyst for Canadian talent across the country.”

After retiring from the NWSL, Scott, a self-described “proud Winnippegger” played in the NSL's inaugural season with the Ottawa Rapid — but helping to bring an expansion team was on her mind.

Scott was known as a midfield “Destroyer” and is shifting roles to become a builder with the new team as a co-founder and vice president of community and player experience.

“As soon as my time playing was done, I said, ‘How can we now get this opportunity for women and girls right here in the province I love so much?’”

Scott was already connected with Gale, and after she retired from the NSL they set the wheels in motion.

“She said, ‘I'm retiring now. Let's make this happen. We need to get this done. Are you still interested? Do you want to get involved?’” Gale recalls. “And I'm like, ‘It's Winnipeg. It's our hometown. Let's do this!’”

Scott says when she knew this was going to be her foreseeable future, she shared the news with some of her family and best friends who she has played with for 20 years.

She also called former teammate Steph Labbé, the current GM of Vancouver Rise, who offered advice, and for Scott to shadow her to learn as much as possible.

“Being able to tap into my fellow teammates ... I think it's incredible to be able to have that,” Scott said.

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Gale has built a new club before and says that the support from the league has been "absolutely first class.”

“The other supporting directors have reached out to me,” he said. “Christina [Litz], Diana [Matheson], all the way along. You know, although it's just been Desi and I up until this point.” Gale said. 

Gale added they are in the process of interviewing for the role of president.

Manitoba may not be considered hub for soccer in Canada like Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal, but Scott and Gale feel that it has a history and — more importantly — potential.

Gale says he decided that Winnipeg was home in 2006 when he became technical director of Manitoba Soccer. When he first arrived, there were no indoor facilities, nor a men’s player on the national team in over 20 years.

“We needed a lot of work and development,” he explained. 

While Scott was playing abroad because there was no option to play professionally in Canada, Gale says he found “like-minded and growth-minded people” and from there opportunities to grow the game in Manitoba were created.

While excited to further cement her soccer legacy, Scott is feeling the pressure to create something that will last the test of time. 

“I think there's a lot that people don't know about it. There's the untapped potential,” she said. "There's kind of a negative sort of vibe about Winnipeg, and for me, it makes me a little bit nervous about how we're going to recruit, how we're going to get people to love the city just as much as I do," Scott said.

"This project is close to home. I want it to be successful.”

Gale believes that there are features that can draw world-class talent to Friendly Manitoba. He says that the support from the community will love the top athletes and they will feel appreciated and embraced by the whole province.

An advantage to Manitoba, Gale says, is that it is a province of one major city; 90 per cent of the population is within one hour of Winnipeg making it more advantageous for fans than Edmonton, Calgary or Vancouver.

There is also a better cost of living, and the fact that the players would be considered heroes in Winnipeg. Gale describes Winnipeg as a vibrant, multi-cultural and welcoming society.

“Winnipeg is a great snapshot of Canada as a whole,” he said. “We've got an underdog-chip on-our-shoulder mentality for soccer," Gale said.

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For her part, Scott has proudly repped Winnipeg her whole career and believes the city has what it takes to be a mainstay in the women’s soccer ecosystem.

"I think we're going to shine light on our province for people who maybe have never visited, who have never seen what our city is about," Scott said. "It's going to be a way to showcase our city, show the community who and what we're about.”

The team has already started working on branding, the name and colours. Gale admits that “The Winnipeg Destroyers” was suggested many times but Scott is too humble to accept a team name in her honour.

Much like the league was a dream of Diana Matheson, who pushed to make it happen, Scott has not only manifested this dream but is building it.

“I think it’s a great story for Des,” Gale said. “I think it's so important for us to celebrate and honour that generation of women that really carried soccer and the country on their back for so many years, and this league is doing a great job of bringing them back into the fold and giving them the next stage of their careers.”

Scott says that this being the next chapter of her career and her time is sport is beyond what she could have ever imagined.

“To still be able to have some impact and be a positive role model and help the game grow,” she adds, “I couldn't have asked for anything more.”

Senior Contributor

Shireen Ahmed is a multi-platform sports journalist, a TEDx speaker, mentor, and an award-winning sports activist who focuses on the intersections of racism and misogyny in sports. She is an industry expert on Muslim women in sports, and her academic research and contributions have been widely published. She is co-creator and co-host of the “Burn It All Down” feminist sports podcast team. In addition to being a seasoned investigative reporter, her commentary is featured by media outlets in Canada, the USA, Europe and Australia. She holds an MA in Media Production from Toronto Metropolitan University where she now teaches Sports Journalism and Sports Media. You can find Shireen tweeting or drinking coffee, or tweeting about drinking coffee. She lives with her four children and her cat.

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