Canada's stock in the soccer world continues to rise.
The men's national team's games have become must-see events, with upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico expected to attract over 50,000 fans to each match in Edmonton. The star of that team, Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies, is now a household name all over the world, and his teammates include players on title-winning club sides from France, Turkey, Serbia and the United States.
On the women's side, the glow of Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 still shines brightly, with a pair of successful celebration friendlies having been played in front of adoring crowds in Ottawa and Montreal late last month — and more such matches planned for other Canadian cities in the new year.
But while the women have carried the torch of success for the national team programs over the past decade, they're at a distinct disadvantage compared to their male counterparts when it comes to professional opportunities within Canada.
Davies spent a crucial part of his development with the Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer, and many of his teammates have spent time (or still ply their trade) in MLS. The creation of the Canadian Premier League in 2019 has meant that there are now eight more professional clubs in Canada to go along with the three MLS outfits — all providing crucial domestic development opportunities for men's players.
Unfortunately, players on the women's side have no such equivalent. The U.S-based NWSL has no Canadian teams within its ranks, and there is no women's CPL for players to cut their teeth in.
That Canada has done so well on the international stage without any type of professional club infrastructure in place is something of a miracle. It's a situation that will need to change if the Canadians want to remain among the world's elite, says Canada international and Paris Saint-Germain star Ashley Lawrence.
“I would love to see a professional league in Canada," Lawrence told DAZN's Alex Ibaceta. "I think that it is long overdue.
"For us we want to be one of the top countries in the world, but it is key that we do have a professional league.
“It allows us to develop players more and there’s that option for player to play at home or to go overseas. I know for myself, if the opportunity was there, I would love to play in Canada just to play professionally. The option should be there for younger players.
“I hope that in the coming years or even sooner we’re able to have whether it’s a professional team or a league within itself. I think it’s key to the development and the future of the program in Canada.”
Lawrence, like all of her gold medal-winning teammates, needed to leave the country to play her trade. Having starred at West Virginia University in the NCAA, Lawrence signed with PSG straight out of college and has since become a mainstay with the club. While her talent may have eventually seen her move on to the likes of PSG, 26-year-old Lawrence never had the choice to play professionally at home.
It's an option she'd like to see for players coming up through the ranks behind her.
“I know for myself and probably can speak on behalf of the players that are playing on the national team or even other Canadians playing abroad," Lawrence said.
"We had to make that decision [to leave home] because we wanted to grow and develop our game and knowing in order for that to be possible, for myself I chose France.”