It was a full house on March 25 at the University of Toronto Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport for a powerhouse panel of women leaders, who are moving professional women’s sports in Canada from encouraging momentum to lasting, sustainable impact
Rising professionalization and expanding media visibility is rapidly changing the landscape for women’s sport in Canada. The launch and subsequent expansion of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (boasting 3 Canadian teams), marked a transformative turning point.
Soon after, the Northern Super League, Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league, kicked off its inaugural season and, in a few short months, Canada’s first team in the Women’s National Basketball Association, Toronto Tempo, will play its first game.
But beyond the headlines, significant challenges remain, including steep declines in physical activity levels among adolescent girls and the continued underrepresentation of women in coaching and leadership positions in sport.
On March 25, the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) brought together a powerhouse panel of women leaders across professional sport, research, coaching and athlete advocacy to address this pivotal moment for women’s sport in Canada.
Moderated by CBC sport journalist Shireen Ahmed, the panelists, Catherine Sabiston, a professor at KPE, Teresa Resch, president of Toronto Tempo, Jayna Hefford, executive vice-president of hockey operations in the Professional Women's Hockey League, Diana Matheson, founder and chief growth officer of Northern Super League, and Vicky Sunohara, head coach of Varsity Blues women's hockey, explored how Canada can move from momentum to sustainable impact.
From access to funding and infrastructure to athlete and coach development pathways, the panelists addressed the challenges and incredible opportunities that lie ahead.