Documentary film THE PITCH tells origin story of Northern Super League, Halifax Tides FC

Team Canada legend Christine Sinclair, left, and Northern Super League founder Diana Matheson sit for an interview for the documentary movie THE PITCH. – SUPPLIED BY THE CUTTING FACTORYArticle contentIt’s easy to look at the Halifax Tides playing at a packed Wanderers Grounds and think it was easy to pull that off.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentBut documentary filmmaker Michele Hozer spent two-and-a-half years behind the scenes with Northern Super League founder Diana Matheson and describes how the actual journey to reach that point was anything but a smooth ride. Hozer saw how Matheson and her partners had to fight for every step forward, especially when it came to convincing any relevant party with a cheque book to believe in her vision.Article contentArticle contentArticle content“At first, I naively thought that with professional sports, there’s always money attached to these endeavours so it’s going be an easy thing for them to start the league and an easy thing to raise money for the project,” Hozer said. “But then I saw almost right away that wasn’t the case and Diana had to work so hard for everything.Article content Northern Super League founder Diana Matheson. – SUPPLIED BY THE CUTTING FACTORYArticle content“That was sort of the North star or guiding question to the documentary: Given their success, why are these women the ones who have to be in charge of and responsible for bringing a pro league here to Canada? So the film is looking at the building of the league and it’s not only about a start-up. It’s the history of women’s soccer in Canada and how, despite their success, they weren’t given the support needed. So it’s really a film about them getting the justice that they should’ve received years ago.”Article contentA broad history lesson around women’s soccer in Canada is that the country’s national team is a global powerhouse, especially compared to the men’s program. Canada won Olympic gold in 2020, plus bronze in 2012 and 2016. Matheson and longtime teammate Christine Sinclair were two of the biggest names on those rosters, but even with all of that glory, there had never been a place in their home country to play professionally.Article contentArticle contentNot long after her retirement in July 2021, Matheson set about changing that and Hozer was there to document the steep hill she had to climb to get to the on-field launch of the NSL this past April.Article content Canada’s Diana Matheson gets the ball past Japan’s Nahomi Kawasumi in the first half of Olympic Soccer action between Team Canada and Team Japan at Coventry Stadium in London, England July 24, 2012. Photo by Dave Abel /Toronto SUNArticle content“The whole idea of the doc was that we were starting at the beginning of the initiative, which was November 2022, and we were going to go right up to the inaugural games across Canada,” Hozer said. “We wanted to be there for every team’s first game so we were in Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax and Ottawa. The plan was to see how Diana was going to make this league happen because it wasn’t easy for her. She was hoping for eight teams in the beginning and that became difficult so they quickly pivoted. They had to ask ‘What’s the minimum number of teams?’ And they went with six and it took her until the spring of 2024, so a year before kick-off, to secure the six teams.”