Goalkeeper vows to press league for gender rights

Olympic medallist goaltender Stephanie Labbe said Friday she’ll pressure league officials to change a men-only rule preventing her from playing for a Calgary squad.

In a podcast, Labbe, who trains with the Calgary Foothills FC, said the Professional Development League’s stance forbidding her from competing has only made her more determined to see the regulation overturned.

“You can expect me to keep pushing the boundaries, to bring it to the board of directors and hopefully get the rule changed, maybe not for me, but for the young girl who’s watching this,” Labbe told the Sports Podcasting Network.

Labbe said the Calgary club was ready to sign her, but the league nixed that, saying it goes against its gender qualifications.

The Canadian national team goalie said she understood such a thing could happen, since she was the first woman to try to break into the league.

But Labbe said the disappointment was still stunning.

“It was a bit of a shock in this day and age. I didn’t actually think it would happen,” she said.

“I’ve proven I can compete at this level … hopefully, this will be the spark that will create change.”

Labbe said for now, she’ll continue to train with Calgary Foothills FC, which has accepted her as true professionals, but will also seek out playing opportunities with European clubs.

The lack of a women’s professional league in Canada is something that should also come to an end, said the Stony Plain resident.

“I’m excited to see how forwardthinking we can be, to play in Canada in front of fans on a weekly basis, not just as a national team” said Labbe.

“We’re the only top 10 (soccer) nation in the world that doesn’t have a domestic women’s domestic league.”

Ideally, she said, a men’s Canadian professional league set to launch next year would add a women’s side.

Professional Development League officials say their decision on gender limitations is final and that the rule mirrors that of “virtually all our peer leagues around the world.”

Labbe, who’s played pre-season matches with the Calgary squad, noted other sports have maledominated leagues that have welcomed qualified women athletes, pointing to hockey stars Hayley Wickenheiser and Shannon Szabados.

“They were kind of trailblazers, and I thought if they could go in and play with men’s team, why couldn’t I with soccer,” she said.

Both hockey players have publicly expressed support for Labbe’s desire to compete in the Professional Development League.

The league’s gender regulation is outdated and discriminatory, said Susan Cress, executive director of the Calgary Minor Soccer Association.

“There’s nothing else to call it but archaic ... it really prevent equal opportunity for women in sports,” she said.

That mindset, she said, is an obstacle to maintaining the momentum women’s soccer has enjoyed in Canada.