Brendan Dunlop, Guest Contributor

There’s no place quite like Montréal. 

Quebec’s largest city will be home to one of the Northern Super League’s six founding clubs when the league kicks off in the spring of 2025. 

Founded by Isabèle Chevalier and Jean-François Crevier, the two successful Montréal business leaders have quickly built a NSL Montréal management team that not only has plenty of experience in the women’s club game on the pitch, but has built success in professional front offices off it.

Building a club from the bottom up is no easy task and something few people in soccer can say they’ve been a part of. Even fewer have all the tools to do it. 

Former France international Marinette Pichon was named NSL Montréal sporting director in June. Capped 112 times for France’s women’s national team, Pichon scored over 300 goals across a 16 year professional career in France and the United States. When she hung up her boots, Pichon moved into the front office at FCF Juvisy – now known as Paris FC and well known to Canadian fans for some Cinderella UEFA Women’s Champions League performances. 

“I got this wonderful feeling with Isabelle and Jean-Francoise as soon as I spoke with them,” says Pichon. “I love the aspect of building a club from the ground up with them. From what I already knew of the city, it really didn’t take long to sell me on the project.”

Pichon immigrated from France before the pandemic and rode out the dark days in her new province, working in local soccer. The unique opportunity to be a part of Montréal’s first professional women’s club was a dream scenario for the former Première Ligue club General Manager. 

“My role is simple. I have the whole responsibility of building a club,” Pichon says with a sprinkle of French sarcasm. “In picking the right coaching staff I can work with them to select the right players. That process is made easier when you start with the right people, then you can find the right players.”

It is not only the talent pool of untapped Canadian talent, but the financial power of the league in it’s inaugural season to attract international talent that appealed to Pichon.

“When I first came to this province in 2019, I saw all this great talent but without a pathway. For me that was an obstacle that I knew needed to be conquered for the women’s game to continue to grow and for the national team to remain amongst the better teams in the world. Without a domestic league that develops talent at home, that is impossible.

“The pool of Canadian players really is great. With the support and dedication of not only NSL Montréal’s owners but the other five clubs who have committed to this project, we can accelerate the foundation process and the NSL can reach a very high competitive level in a fast period of time.”

Part of Pichon’s confidence comes from knowing she has an experienced Canadian sports executive alongside her. 

Annie Larouche was hired as NSL Montréal president in June, bringing with her 25 years of experience in the CFL with the Montréal Alouettes, and more recently as president of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)’s Montréal Alliance.

“It's an honour and a privilege to start a team, a pro sports team, in your city. And it's even greater when it's women's sports,” says Larouche, who met Pichon through basketball three years ago and quickly developed a working partnership at NSL Montréal.

“Marinette and I share the same energy, the same values and we share the same vision for this mission. I felt like we've known each other for forever. Being able to start the team with her, to work alongside her, is a real privilege.”

Together the two can use the NSL’s financial muscle of a $1.5 million salary cap to assemble a competitive squad of Canadian and internationally experienced players. With the average player salary to be around $65,000-$75,000, every NSL club can put competitive offers on the table for players that previously didn’t hav Canada as an option. 

“We have been scouting players in Brazil and in Europe,” says Pichon. “What I can say about those conversations is that players are happy that this league is happening. They see the league infrastructure that is being built and recognize the potential of a professional women’s league in Canada at this moment in time, where the women’s game has never been bigger. 

“Players want to be a part of this legacy.”

While the official branding announcement for the club and stadium plans are still to come, NSL Montréal have identified a handful of players and are close to making the historic first signing. 

Pichon knows how important it is to quickly “build respect with the community” and how meaningful it is to be the first professional women’s club in Quebec. 

Before NSL Montréal were announced as the fifth club to join the Northern Super League, Project 8 co-founder Diana Matheson routinely talked about the importance of launching this league with a team in Quebec. 

“We needed to have a team in the heart of French Canada,” Pichon says. “Montréal is such a great sports city with a rich history in professional hockey, football and baseball. And now the soccer side can be complete with a men’s and a women’s team the city can be proud of.

“We are ready to make the first NSL game in Montréal an unforgettable experience and are excited to see the fan base fall in love with professional women’s soccer.”

NSL Montréal are excited to announce their official club branding later this fall and a stadium announcement is soon to follow. 

The one guarantee with this club is that the passion the city has for its sports teams is reflected and well represented by the people putting NSL Montréal together, which should translate to the pitch and will surely be evident in the stands.