Mariam Kourabi, Guest Contributor

Situated on the southern bank of the Ottawa River, bordering the province of Quebec, the nation’s capital is now home to professional women’s soccer. Ottawa Rapid FC is one of the six founding clubs of the Northern Super League and are keen to tap into the unique bilingual market with a long and rich history in the women’s game.

Ottawa, known for it’s many national institutions including Parliament, the official residence of the Prime Minister and historic museums, the city also hosts a vibrant sports culture. With professional hockey teams in both the NHL and PWHL, Canadian Premier League side Atlético Ottawa now have a fellow soccer club in the nation’s capital.

“One of the unique things about Ottawa is that we support one another and there is a lot of crossover between sports,” says Rapid FC technical director Kristina Kiss. “The city’s teams have a lot of local support and backing from our own people. The sports fans will come out to support all the Ottawa teams. Bringing women’s soccer is going to be quite collaborative between all sports.” 

Ottawa is no stranger to showcasing exceptional Canadian women’s soccer talent. For 14 years, the Ottawa Fury Football Club was part of the North American amateur women’s soccer developmental USL W-League. With the introduction of Ottawa Rapid FC, a flame is reignited in a region that has a deep history of producing legendary players.  

“It’s a sports-loving city and that’s what I like about it. In the winter, the whole Rideau Canal is an ice rink. There’s always sport going on everywhere,” says two-time Olympian and former Canadian women’s national team star Rhian Wilkinson. 

“Ottawa has rich and deep history supporting and promoting the women’s game at a time when there wasn’t much happening. I was told my national career meant that I needed to find somewhere to play. I went to Ottawa and it changed the course of my career but it also brought my teammates and I to a whole new level.”

Wilkinson spent three seasons with the Ottawa Fury following her collegiate career at the University of Tennessee. In her final year in 2005, she ended the season as the W-League top goalscorer tied for the league lead in assists. Past and present, some of the biggest names to play for Canada once played for the Ottawa Fury. Olympic champions like Ashley Lawrence, Kadeisha Buchanan and Shelina Zadorsky, and star alumni including Wilkinson, Carmelina Moscato and NSL co-founder Diana Matheson kickstarted their careers in the nation’s capital

“The competition will be positive here because it draws more attention to a healthy city and a city that works hard. We are seeing the youth national teams picking up players from Ottawa and the surrounding areas, and many others who turn professional,” says Kiss. “It’s time to have our own professional women’s team here. 

“People get really excited when they hear about the NSL Ottawa project. I was working with a youth club here in Ottawa when the announcement came out and the excitement from everyone was huge. The kids were asking questions, they could not believe they can be paid to play soccer at home one day. The parents were very excited, too.”

All of the Fury players went on to have storied careers for the national team or clubs elsewhere. New players having the chance to write big chapters of their pro careers in Ottawa is what makes the NSL special. 

“It’s no secret playing at home in front of your friends and family is a huge plus,” said Ottawa native and CanWNT star Vaness Gilles earlier this spring. “It’s really cool to know that Ottawa is going to have a team.”

As one of two NSL clubs in Ontario alongside AFC Toronto, Ottawa Rapid appeals to a huge talent pool across the country. The bi-lingual nature of the city offers vital professional opportunities for many young women.

“Having two teams in Ontario is important. The talent is across the country, but the population isn’t,” says Wilkinson. “There’s a huge population in Ontario and there’s a huge talent pool there. It’s good for both the game and the talent that there will be two places in Ontario for them to choose from.. 

“Ottawa is going to be almost an overflow city, which is important. There are just so many fantastic players in Ontario and Quebec. Ottawa will be able to bring in the overflow which I think is exciting.”

Not every player with professional aspirations before has had the opportunity, like Gilles, to play abroad. Many young women hung up their boots long before they wanted to.

“There are players like me, who made it out of Ottawa and were able to pursue a career, but there’s a long history of players in Ottawa that had the talent and just ended a career. Many were inside the national team pool and had national caps but could not stay home for a professional career,” highlights Kiss. “Bringing the NSL to Ottawa is critical.”

Ottawa Rapid FC revealed the club name and colours in mid-August at what will be the home field for the team, TD Place. NSL president Christina Litz, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, as well as Rapid CEO Tom Gilbert were all in attendance as former CanWNT star Amy Walsh emceed the event.

“The opportunity of creating something that works in both French and English is really exciting,” says Walsh about the club’s bilingual moniker. “It reflects not only the community, but what the organization wants to put on pitch in terms of their playing style, their philosophy and everything around it. The badge itself in its full form harkens back to a traditional football badge, one that is also more streamlined. I love it.”

The distinct blue badge represents a Peregrine Falcon, a native bird to the Ottawa region and the fastest animal on earth. Soaring across the circular crest, a nod to the “O” in Ottawa, the falcon is drawn in an attack position to represent the club’s fighting spirit.

A simple yet powerful color palette using shades of blue reference water, the sky and nature’s power. The neon orange accent represents the Centennial flame, a fountain that doesn’t freeze and never dies; a symbol of the Rapid’s resilience. 

In collaboration with Critical Mass with the common goal of representing North American iconography and a team mascot, the name Ottawa Rapid FC was born. The naming committee included some national team players, Ottawa locals and marketing execs who’d been through the process a number of times. 

Ottawa will be a hub, not just for players from the region but for the NSL. The nation’s capital is the fourth-largest city in Canada, known for its rich history, cultural diversity, and vibrant art scenes. Famous for hosting the yearly Canadian Tulip Festival and Winterlude celebration, it’s an appealing market for players to want to call home and for companies to invest in. 

“If you’ve been to Ottawa, you know it’s a beautiful city. There’s so many different things going on. There’s a huge art scene, there’s museums of incredible calibre there that I love. There’s a lot to do, and so quickly outside of Ottawa, you’re into the Canadian wilderness, which is something that I think a lot of internationals are intrigued about,” says Wilkinson. 

“Ottawa is probably the epitome of that East Coast beauty where you’ve got an incredible city that is huge and there are so many people. It’s also the centre of the Canadian government, but only an hour outside you’re into the lakes and the forests. It provides that true Canadian experience.”

The vision of the club entails a safe and positive environment, honed by a professional and competitive atmosphere to create the next generation of Canadian stars. 

More than a sports city, Ottawa is a gem.