A new North American women's professional league starting play the year after the U.S. claimed victory in a high-profile global tournament?! Oh boy, this can't possibly go wrong!
/sarcasm
Yes, the seemingly ubiquitous cynicism is well-earned, given that we've seen both the WUSA and WPS go under in the past decade. It serves no one any good to go full-bore Pollyanna about the new league's prospects, given that many of the circumstances that led to the disappearance of the two previous leagues still exist (save for one jackass-who-shall-not-be-named -- hopefully, anyway).
But the active, hands-on participation of the USSF, CSA and FMF -- as well as such folks as Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson -- is an encouraging sign that this league may actually be precisely what Canada desperately needs.
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As reported on CSN earlier today, the CSA will fund the salaries of up to 16 Canadian players in the new league (the American and Mexican federations will invest similarly in their player pool). A large chunk of the current CanWNT player pool currently trains and plays in the semi-pro USL W-League, but I'm guessing few would balk at the opportunity to actually earn a living on these shores (albeit, not actually in Canada) playing the game.
Of course, this represents a new challenge for the W-League, in terms of attracting and retaining top-level players. But the 30-team league (eight of which are in Canada) has outlived both the WUSA and WPS, and their connection to the larger USL pyramid will help ensure a level of stability and a continuation of opportunities for players not quite ready to jump to the new professional league.
While the Canadian team's six-week-long training camp earlier this year (called in the wake of WPS's demise) obviously prepared them well for the London Olympics, the reality is that a national team can't be sustained solely on the back of sporadic camps. All players -- regardless of gender, age or location -- need constant competition against high-level opposition to remain at the peak of their game. Concentrating the upper echelons of the Canadian, American and Mexican player pools -- in addition to an influx of international talent, no doubt -- is the most feasible way to do this, and to create interest among the local fanbases (having Seattle and Portland going head to head certainly can't hurt in that regard either).
This goes beyond the current player pool, of course. In the same way that fans of the men's game are excited about the opportunities that MLS and NASL provide to Canadian youngsters, so too should Canadian soccer fans be excited at the prospect of our burgeoning female stars having the opportunity to play the game without having to transplant themselves overseas or (hopefully) rely on other sources of income just to make ends meet.
The involvement of the governing bodies of three countries also instantly lends the league an additional level of stability -- and significance. The chances of one owner going rogue and essentially scuttling the entire operation by themselves is lessened. The governing bodies have an enhanced impetus to promote and sustain the league, using their connections to their home soccer communities to help do so. And, of course, it makes it all the more likely that the biggest stars of the U.S. and Canadian programs -- the sort that fans will pay good money to see -- will come (and stay) on board.
There's no guarantee of anything in this league, of course. But the female players that represent our country on the international stage shouldn't be doing so as a charity, nor should they be expected to. This league represents a chance for members of our national team player pool to have some measure of stability in the lead-up to the 2015 Women's World Cup, and it gives players coming through our youth systems extra incentive to remain committed to the game of soccer.
Perhaps the third time really will be the charm for professional women's soccer on these shores, or perhaps the new league will end up with a similar shelf life as WUSA and WPS. But either way, it is worth it for our national governing bodies to give it a shot.
Given the excitement the WNT provided to Canadians coast to coast this summer, it's the least they deserve.