Canadian national star Beckie buys into semi-pro game plan
Striker joins the ownership group of Simcoe County Rovers FC
Janine Beckie believes the growth of women’s soccer depends on finding people willing to invest in the sport.
The Canadian national team forward is putting her money where her mouth is.
Beckie has joined the ownership group of Simcoe County Rovers FC, a new semi-professional League1 Ontario club with pro aspirations. Canadian players Cyle Larin and Doneil Henry are also minority owners, recruited by president and managing partner Julian de Guzman, Canada’s second-most capped men’s player.
The idea of starting a professional women’s league here has long been brewing, and interest has grown since winning Olympic gold in Tokyo. Canada is the only country without a pro women’s circuit among the top 10 in the world rankings.
Beckie, also a striker with Manchester City of the FA Women’s Super League, sees Rovers FC as a building block for Canadian soccer.
“If we want the sport to continue to grow in our country, young girls have to see their idols and their peers playing the game at a high level,” she said. “And although (Rovers) is not the highest level that we want to see in the country yet, it’s a stepping stone.”
“You don’t go from zero to 100 … That’s why I’m really excited about being a part of this project, because this is one of those stepping stones.”
Financial details were not disclosed, per club policy, but the 27year-old Beckie calls it a “great investment” as she moves into the later stages of her playing career while also emerging as a broadcaster.
Simcoe County was confirmed as a League1 Ontario expansion club last October, after acquiring the franchise license previously held by Aurora FC. The club is scheduled to start play in the spring — with women’s and men’s teams playing home matches in Barrie — and has secured youth affiliation agreements with Athlete Institute, Barrie Soccer Club and Aurora FC, which will eventually serve as reserve squads for the first teams.
For men, League1 Ontario’s Premier Division is the third club tier in Canada. The women’s Premier Division is generally considered the highest level in the country.
De Guzman said he reached out to Beckie late last year about joining Simcoe County as a co-owner, calling her “the perfect role model for the future of women’s soccer in Canada.” Beckie said she was won over by the club’s professionalism, realistic assessment of where the sport is at in the country, and game plan to turn professional down the road.
The success of the women’s national team over the last decade, the recent emergence of the men’s side in World Cup qualifying and the excitement both have generated have created an opportunity to build something new and sustainable in Canada, Beckie said.
“Whether I’m a player or part of an ownership group, I definitely want to have a voice in that and hold people to high standards, because that’s the only way we’re really going to make strides,” said Beckie, also part of the leadership team of the Canadian Soccer Players Association, which represents national team members.
The Rovers are looking to add women’s players shut out by the North American system after competing at the collegiate level, says general manager Audra Sherman, an A-licensed head coach, former W-League player and member of the national program who has coached in Ontario for more than a decade.
“(We’ll) have them spend time in our environment and then use our resources and our connections ... to place them in some quality environments, in professional environments (in Europe),” says Sherman, adding that college-level athletes looking to play in the summer will be welcome, as well as standout youth players on the Rovers’ affiliates.
Sherman has signed five players so far, with an open trial set for late February where local talent can register and attend. An invite-only session will follow in March.
She calls Beckie “a great advocate for our game here” and says reaching out to the striker was a nobrainer for de Guzman. Beckie is playing in England, but has met with the Rovers technical staff. Sherman expects Beckie will play a big part behind the scenes by sharing insight into the realities of the women’s game, while also being one of the club’s public faces.
The Canadian women’s game has come a long way since Sherman was first involved, but she sees Beckie facing some of the same old challenges. For her part, Beckie says advocating for changes in attitude toward and within the women’s game can be exhausting. They both see progress, however, and reason for hope that it will continue.
“We all have the same vision,” Beckie said, “which is to grow the game.”
‘‘ “If we want the sport to continue to grow in our country, young girls have to see their idols and their peers playing the game at a high level.”
JANINE BECKIE ON NEW LEAGUE