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Forty years after the women’s national team’s first training camp was held in Winnipeg, officials from all levels of government and the Northern Super League gathered Tuesday to announce where the city’s new team will play.
“We are proud to announce that Winnipeg’s new stadium will be built right here at the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex,” league president Christina Litz, a Manitoba native, said at a news conference.
“You may not know, but back in 1986, the first national training camp for the Canadian women’s team was held here on this property.”
The new facility will be designed as a modular stadium within the complex.
On July 14, Winnipeg was announced as home to the first ever professional women’s soccer league expansion team, bringing the number of Northern Super League teams to seven.
This summer, the league received a $30 million investment from global sports company APEX that will help support the league’s expansion.
The Northern Super League is now in its second season. Team Winnipeg will begin next season in its new modular stadium, thanks in large part to Manitoba’s Desiree Scott, a retired player and Olympic gold medal winner.
“The journey to the Northern Super League begins and ends with the members of the Canadian Women’s National Team,” Litz said at a news conference.
“And without Desiree Scott there would be no NSL Winnipeg.”
Scott founded the franchise with Rob Gale, who was the first head coach and general manager of the defunct Valor FC men’s soccer team.
“The first announcement of the Northern Super League expanding to Winnipeg was a dream of mine,” said Scott, who was a midfielder.
“Today we announce our new stadium, our new home – this dream becomes a reality.”
The federal government will contribute $2.1 million to the new stadium project, the province will contribute $750,000 and the city will contribute $600,000.
The project will be led by Vancouver-based SixFive Stadium Experience. Adam Torpey, the company’s vice president of business development, says the stadium will be designed to grow with the club over time.
“As demand grows, we can add capacity, expand hospitality and introduce new amenities over time,” he said.
The stadium will have a capacity of approximately 4,500 people and Torpey says the design will bring fans closer to the field and help create an energetic atmosphere.
“What we’re missing … when it comes to a professional team is the right facility,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said.
“Something of the right scale for professional football, where we can fill the stands, create some noise and atmosphere and give players and fans an unforgettable experience – that’s what this project does.”
Gayle, the team’s chief sporting director, says the team will be in Winnipeg for a long time. Valor FC closed after the 2025 season.
“This is also about the future of women’s sports in the city,” the stadium tells sponsors. We’re serious, it tells the broadcasters we’re serious, it tells every other city in this league that Winnipeg is serious,” he said.
Gayle says having a home for professional women’s football will inspire girls hoping to follow in the footsteps of a player like Scott.
“Someday this young girl will be able to walk into a stadium built for her sport, built for her league, built for her future in her hometown,” he said.
Scott said she envisioned the moment when the Winnipeg team took the field for the first time next season and what it would mean for the young girls in the stands. She hopes they will have a big dream: a professional women’s soccer team in their city.
“Giving our team a place to call home, with fans in the seats, celebrating all the moments together, representing the city and the great game we all love so much, the stadium is more than just concrete and seats,” Scott said.