Ottawa Rapid FC
Behind the Badge: Rapid FC is Reviving a Legacy of Women's Soccer in the Nation's Capital
Mariam Kourabi, Guest Contributor Published on August 22, 2024
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 goal scorer 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.
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