Latest news with #HalifaxTides
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
New survey finds huge growth of women's sports in Canada
The Halifax Tides are less than two months into their first season in the new professional women's soccer league – the Northern Super League – in a country where women's and girls' sports are reaching new highs, according to a new survey released earlier this week. 'I'm not surprised by it. I feel like it's about time, actually,' said Kiley Norkus, who plays fullback for the Tides. Norkus said growing up playing the game in California, she and other girls did not lack for opportunity compared to the boys, but she says that changed when she tried to turn pro. 'I had to really grind to find connections,' Norkus said. 'It was like, 'OK, I'm going to take this flight to Spain and hopefully this is a real trial and not like some weird situation,' when, like, I feel like a lot of men had legit agents.' A new national survey presented on Wednesday at the espnW Summit Canada in Toronto has found that 60 per cent of Canadians believe perceptions of women's sport have improved over the past three years. The data also found that 41 per cent of those polled see women's sports as a national investment. Since the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) was founded two years ago, there has been a 45 per cent increase in female hockey registration nationwide. 'Ultimately, the sport is making gains but it's not just important to make gains. It's important to gain a foothold,' said Christina Lamey, president of Cape Breton Blizzard female hockey in Cape Breton. The Blizzard and a number of other female teams in Cape Breton are set to move into the new Home For Women's Hockey at Cape Breton University, said to be the only arena in the country designated solely for girls' and women's hockey. Despite that success on the local level, Lamey said that it's time infrastructure catches up to interest levels in female sport. The new survey suggests structural supports for female sport still lag behind. Lamey said in many cases worldwide, women have been carving out their own places to play. 'So much of this growth in women's sport is claiming of public space by women,' she said. 'It's a really large global movement that's happening, and it's exciting times.' At May's Cabot Trail Relay Race in the Cape Breton Highlands, an all-women's team with an ironic name – 'The Boys' – broke the female team course record for the running team relay by 35 minutes. At least two female Canadian Olympians took part: Julie-Anne Staehli, who competed in the 5000 meter event at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, and Noelle Montcalm, a 400-meter hurdle competitor at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro along with the 2020 Games. Race committee chair Grace Mason-Parkinson said it's a sign of greater interest and competition among women, even in amateur events. 'Since COVID-19 really, every year we've had another new all-women's team apply,' Mason-Parkinson said. 'We're seeing more women around the course. We're seeing more fun, friendly competition and support for each other.' Norkus is optimistic young girls who come to their games won't have the same kinds of struggles for legitimacy she did. 'We have girls in the league, in Calgary and stuff, who just graduated high school and are going pro,' Norkus said. 'So that itself is a huge step, because we didn't really have that growing up.' Lamey said in recent years – thanks in part to the emergence of the PWHL and construction of the new Home For Women's Hockey – registration numbers for female hockey in Cape Breton have grown by more than 300 per cent.
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Halifax's long, complicated relationship with building a stadium
As Halifax council ponders a plan to transform a pop-up stadium at the Wanderers Grounds into a more permanent space, it's the latest chapter in a decade-plus long debate about building a stadium in the city. Past discussions have come with a range of price tags for taxpayers and been derailed by unforeseen circumstances, including a global pandemic. "It's a huge opportunity for us right here. Our city is truly growing and we need to get this right, but we've been talking about a stadium for way before my time on council," said Coun. Tony Mancini, who first joined council after a January 2016 byelection win. He made the comments Wednesday as municipal staff presented a plan for the so-called Wanderers Block to the city's community planning and economic development committee. The area is mostly municipal land and part of the Halifax Common. "How do we finally get to a conclusion on this stadium conversation?" said Mancini. The Halifax Wanderers professional men's soccer team has played at the site since 2019, while the Halifax Tides women's team started playing at the Wanderers Grounds this year. City staff came up with a mix of stadium options for the site that would range in size, as well as changes to facilities operated by groups such as the Halifax Lancers and the Wanderers Lawn Bowling Club. The anticipated costs ranged from $116 million to $123 million, assuming construction starts in 2029. Contingencies of 25 per cent were included in the estimates to account for things like inflation and changes made during the construction process. No action was taken Wednesday, and council will consider the plan at a future meeting. In 2023, the Wanderers suggested a stadium would cost about $40 million. They asked Halifax to build and operate the facility with the team as the lead tenant. CFL hopes While stadium talk in Halifax relates to professional soccer teams, the previous debate was anchored on bringing a CFL franchise to Halifax. A group known as Schooner Sports and Entertainment was behind the proposal and it sought municipal and provincial funding to build a 24,000-seat, $110-million stadium in Shannon Park in 2022. Besides professional football, the space would have been used for community sports and major concerts. In December 2019, Halifax council voted to give the proponents $20 million, but only if a list of conditions were met. Considering that the proponent's preferred location for a stadium was Shannon Park, it was odd that council approved the funding on the condition that the stadium be built in another approved location. The proponent's enthusiasm wasn't dampened. "We're thrilled. We thank council for their due diligence and very spirited debate. We're very excited to move forward," said SSE partner Anthony LeBlanc. By April 2020, LeBlanc had taken an executive role with the NHL's Ottawa Senators. But in his absence, other SSE officials remained bullish. "We're more optimistic than we've ever been probably on the stadium itself," said founding partner Gary Drummond in late 2020. The project soon quietly disappeared from the public conversation, while the two affiliated companies behind the venture — Schooner Sports and Entertainment and Maritime Football Limited — have had their registrations revoked in the Registry of Joint Stock Companies. 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was played in six Canadian cities: Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton, N.B. For a time, Halifax hoped to be one of those cities, but Halifax council voted in early 2012 to withdraw its bid. The reason? A stadium was too expensive to build on its own. While the stadium cost was estimated at between $54.8 million and $71.1 million, the provincial government had not signed on to the project. The city was willing to spend $20 million on it. 2014 Commonwealth Games A different international sporting event was the motivation behind another Halifax stadium push. In 2005, Halifax won the right to be the Canadian city to bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. While hosting the games was once projected to cost $785 million, Halifax abandoned its bid in early 2007 when the projected bill reached $1.7 billion. At the time, Chris Algar, a 1999 Canada Games athlete, described the disappointment of missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "They're saying we couldn't host it because we don't have the infrastructure," he said. "This is a chance to build that infrastructure. How do you suppose we're going to get it now?" Almost two decades later, Halifax is still trying to figure out the answer to that question.
CBC
12-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
New Halifax plan examines how downtown soccer stadium fits with neighbouring projects
A new plan considers what a permanent soccer stadium could look like in downtown Halifax, but says using the same location as the current pop-up facility would bring compromises for the stadium and other nearby groups. Municipal staff presented a functional plan for the Wanderers Block to the city's community planning and economic development committee on Wednesday. The area is mostly municipal land and part of the Halifax Common. The plan considered what it would look like to accommodate all the requests from current and possible future tenants of the area, including two professional soccer teams, a horse riding school, lawn bowling club and municipal parks staff. "Now we can say, yeah, it is very crowded," said Carolle Koziak Roberts, municipal landscape architect. The Halifax Wanderers professional soccer team and the new Halifax Tides women's team want a permanent 8,500-seat stadium with running water, locker rooms and concession areas that could expand seating in the future. They suggested a turf field that would allow amateur and school teams to play year-round, and could handle concerts with a 13,000-person standing capacity. In 2023, the Wanderers suggested such a stadium would cost about $40 million, and asked Halifax to build and operate the facility with the team as the lead tenant. The Halifax Lancers horse riding school wants to build more stables for additional horses, increase the size of its outdoor riding ring and build a second indoor riding arena to expand their membership and programs. The Wanderers Lawn Bowling Club, which has been on the site since 1887, would like more public visibility and a larger clubhouse that could be rented. The Public Gardens Foundation has asked for a Victorian-style conservatory that would showcase plants year-round. There is also a municipal parks depot on the site housing sports field maintenance staff and equipment, as well as a horticulture facility servicing the Halifax Public Gardens and other parks. The plan offers three different options for how the projects could fit on the site, but all require trade-offs or compromises from everyone. The plan said some options allow a stadium field that could be used for both soccer and rugby, but there is no room to accommodate football without removing one of the other tenants. The seating capacity could also not be expanded unless the province provided land from the Museum of Natural History property. In that case, a stadium of 9,000 to 10,000 seats could be possible. "I don't think this is the right plan — too many compromises and we need to think a bit bigger," said Coun. Patty Cuttell. Cuttell said a larger stadium should go elsewhere that could accommodate more sports and commercial space. Coun. Trish Purdy brought up Ottawa's Lansdowne Park as a better model. The home of the Canadian Football League's Ottawa Redblacks includes a stadium, playgrounds, shopping area, public lawn and skatepark. "No matter how we position it on the block, [this] wouldn't ever be able to accommodate CFL, so I think that's a big negative," said Purdy. Coun. Tony Mancini said the pop-up stadium, where the Wanderers have played since 2019 and the Tides launched this year, has been a "huge success," drawing about 6,000 people for games. "It's had a huge impact to the downtown and it's been great," Mancini said. He also said it's not ideal for drawing more soccer events like the 2023 match between the Canadian women's national team and Brazil. "Two of the best teams in the world here. They're changing in shipping containers, they had to use [portable toilets], there's no running water, there's not a real stadium. So a real stadium is definitely needed," Mancini said. With a second soccer team now using the pop-up stadium, the report said Halifax recently took over rental of the existing metal bleachers and bought "most of the assets" on the Wanderers field "in order to increase public control over the Wanderers temporary stadium site." It is unclear how much this move cost. Koziak Roberts said this report was just the first step and it's now up to councillors to discuss which development projects make sense on the block. The costs for all developments could range from $116 million to $123 million, but Koziak Roberts said those are high-level figures that assume construction starts in 2029 and include a 15 per cent estimate for inflation. Regional council will consider the plan at a future meeting and decide whether to ask for a staff report that would provide a recommended approach for the Wanderers Block, and confirm funding commitments from other levels of government and the tenants themselves. "It is not envisioned that the municipality should assume primary financial responsibilities over these interests," the report said. Staff said public consultation will come once there is additional clarity over what could actually happen on the block.
CBC
11-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Halifax Tides beat visiting Ottawa Rapid to record 1st NSL victory
Social Sharing The Halifax Tides have finally hit the win column in the Northern Super League. A goal in the 75th minute by Gunnhildur Yrsa Jonsdottir snapped a 1-1 tie and lifted the Tides to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Ottawa Rapid on Tuesday at Wanderers Grounds. Olivia Scott gave the Rapid a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, but Megumi Nakamura tied the match in the 58th minute. The Tides outshot the Rapid 19-8 — and 7-2 with on target shots — and improved to one win, five losses and one draw in seven NSL outings. The Rapid slipped to three wins, two losses and two draws in seven games. Halifax Tides capture 1st NSL victory in franchise history 4 hours ago Duration 0:50 Halifax defeated Ottawa Tuesday night 2-1 at home recording the teams first ever victory in the NSL. The Tides had 12 corners while the Rapid took five. The visitors controlled the possession percentage 55-45. Next up, the Rapid host the Montreal Roses on Saturday, while the Tides visit AFC Toronto on Saturday, June 21.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Calgary's Wild FC downs Halifax Tides 3-2 in Northern Super League
A soccer ball with the Northern Super League logo sits on a table before a league news conference on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns) CALGARY — Calgary's Wild FC held off the Halifax Tides 3-2 on Thursday in the Northern Super League. Wild (3-2-2) scored three first-half goals before the winless Tides (0-5-1) countered with two late in the second. Calgary extended its undefeated run to four straight games with two wins and two draws in that span. Wild FC defeated the Tides 4-1 in Halifax on April 26 for Calgary's first NSL victory, and a week after the six-team NSL launched with the Vancouver Rise blanking Calgary 1-0. 'It was a similar story to the last time we played Halifax. We put the game to bed early and then we let them get a bit of momentum at the start of the second half, but this one maybe even more so,' said Wild coach Lydia Bedford. 'I give full credit to them. This league is very competitive. They showed that tonight putting two away in the second half.' The Wild's Taegan Stewart scored her first career NSL goal when the 17-year-old Calgarian drilled a right-foot shot from the centre box home in first-half extra time. 'It's been coming for a while. I had a couple of chances over the last couple of matches, but third time is a charm,' Stewart said. 'It was really exciting and now I'm wanting more.' She celebrated her first goal by hopping on the back of forward Christie Gray's back for a run down McMahon Stadium's pitch. Taegan's twin sister and Wild teammate Keelyn attended their high school graduation ceremony in the afternoon before heading to the pitch in the evening. 'It was a long, busy day – a pretty exciting day having graduated high school – but we made it work,' said Keelyn. 'It was even more exciting that we finally got to share the field together, so was a perfect way to end things off for us.' Added Bedford: 'T had her first start in the first Halifax game and for Kee, she has been pushing and pushing, knocking on my door for when those minutes are going to come. I'm just so proud of them both. To be 17 and to be stepping on the pitch as well as they are just shows all the work they have put in.' Jenaya Robertson of Delta, B.C., made it 2-0 for the hosts with a left-footed strike in the 41st minute. Australian defender Ally Green got Calgary's first-half scoring burst underway in the 23rd minute. Wild goalkeeper Stephanie Bukovec's bid for a third clean sheet in four games was foiled when Haligonian Saorla Miller and Japanese striker Megumi Nakamura scored in the 72nd and 76th minutes respectively for the Tides. Bukovec and Halifax keeper Erin McLeod, who has appeared in 119 games for the Canadian women's team, each made one save. Bukovec was the busier of the two women with 68 touches to McLeod's 36. Wild FC's next game is against AFC Toronto in Calgary on June 14. The Tides host Ottawa Rapid FC on June 10. Toronto versus Ottawa and Vancouver facing Montreal Roses FC is Saturday's NSL match lineup. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.
