Ideation (2021–2022) co-founded Project 8 Sports, Inc., in June 2022 and led it from its launch Upon her retirement from professional soccer in July 2021,
Diana Matheson began advocating for both a national domestic women's league and
National Women's Soccer League team in Canada. Her early plans specified a six-month professional league with player leadership, and cited her experience with the
Ottawa Fury and
Vancouver Whitecaps of the defunct
USL W-League as examples of what Canada lacked in player development opportunities. Matheson then entered
Queen's University at Kingston to pursue a
Master of Business Administration degree in August 2021, In December 2021, Matheson presented a plan for women's soccer in Canada to the
Canadian Soccer Association, but discussions did not progress. The announcement included the league's first two teams in the Whitecaps and
Calgary Foothills WFC, In January 2023, Matheson noted that talks had also included independent and foreign ownership groups, and announced franchise fees of $1 million with an expectation of owners investing $10 million total over the first five seasons, with entry including equity in the league itself. She also detailed limits on foreign players to seven per team, and suggested that the new league would not deal with
Canada Soccer Business, the entity that owns broadcast rights to the
Canadian Premier League men's soccer competition. In May, Project 8 was recognized as a "league in membership" by the Canadian Soccer Association. On May 28, 2024, the official logo and name for the league were revealed as the Northern Super League, along with the announcement that teams from both
Montreal and
Ottawa would also join the league for the 2025 inaugural season. The league avoided including Canada and the word "women" in its name to emulate other successful sports leagues. On August 26, the name and logo of
Vancouver Rise FC was unveiled. On October 8, the name and logo of
Montreal Roses FC was unveiled. On July 8, 2024, former
CFL and
Woodbine Entertainment Group executive Christina Litz was announced as the league's president with Matheson moving into the role of chief growth officer.
2025 season The inaugural match was held on April 16, 2025, with Vancouver hosting Calgary at
BC Place. The first goal in league history was a
penalty kick scored by
Quinn. The league's preparations and launch were profiled in
Michèle Hozer's 2025 documentary film
The Pitch. On September 8, 2025, the league announced that it was seeking to add an expansion team in 2027, engaging Whitecap Sports Group to identify and evaluate a new ownership group for club opportunities, focusing on Central and Western Canada. ==Competition format==