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Ottawa Rapid FC

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Ottawa Rapid FC
A blue, circular club crest, with a bird in the centre, facing right. The words "Ottawa Rapid FC" are written across the bottom, while a small tulip is drawn at the top.
Founded2024
Stadium
Capacity24,000
OwnersThomas Gilbert
Diana Matheson
Arcadia MapleLeaf Soccer
CoachKatrine Pedersen
LeagueNorthern Super League
Websiterapidfc.ca
Current season

Ottawa Rapid FC (French: CF Rapide Ottawa) is a professional women's soccer club based in Ottawa, Ontario. It competes in the Northern Super League, the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system. The club plays its home matches at the 24,000-capacity TD Place Stadium in Lansdowne Park. One of the last two clubs to join as charter members of the league, the Rapid played its inaugural season in 2025. The club's primary colour is light blue, with an orange accent, while its crest depicts the native peregrine falcon. Thomas Gilbert serves as the club's chief executive officer.

History

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The Rapid were the last to be planned of the original six clubs in the NSL. With the league struggling to reach six franchises signing-on by the spring 2024 deadline which had been set by the other franchise owners, league CEO Diana Matheson and co-founder Thomas Gilbert leveraged their equity in the league in order to create a club in Ottawa.[1] The club's existence was first disseminated at the espnW Summit in May 2024, where it and Montréal were described as the last two of the league's six charter clubs.[2][3][4][5] Details were initially scant, with Matheson implying its development was behind the other five clubs.[6] The club's formal unveiling took place at a press conference at TD Place Stadium on August 15, where their corporate leadership, branding, and venue were detailed for the first time.[7][8]

On September 17, 2025, following a 2–1 win over Calgary Wild FC, the Rapid secured a spot in the inaugural NSL playoffs.[9][10] Ottawa was eliminated in the semifinal by Vancouver Rise FC.[11]

On March 6, 2026, it was announced that Arcadia MapleLeaf Soccer had become majority owners of the Rapid, increasing investment into the club, and with Nick Sakellariadis being named as Chair.[12][13]

Identity

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Native to Ottawa, the club's crest depicts the peregrine falcon, the fastest animal in the world.

Canadian advertising agency Critical Mass designed the club's branding, which uses light blue as a primary colour and orange as an accent – references to the "water, sky, and the power of nature around us", and the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill, respectively.[7][14][15] The club's name, Rapid, was a compromise between traditional North American "mascot" names, viscerality, and geographical context. The geology of the Ottawa Valley, and a "sense of speed and progress", were described by the club as imagery intended to be evoked by the name.[14][15] While Ottawa is not officially bilingual, the club has an official French-language name: CF Rapide Ottawa, or Club de Foot Rapide Ottawa.[8]

The Rapid's crest prominently features the peregrine falcon, a bird native to Ottawa recognized as the fastest animal in the world, with a four-feathered wing representing the rivers Gatineau, Ottawa, and Rideau in its negative space.[14][15][16] The letter "O" outlines the crest, and is decorated with a small tulip on its top – a reference to the Canadian Tulip Festival that takes place annually in Ottawa.[15]

Stadium

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The Rapid share the integrated TD Place Stadium and TD Place Arena complex with five other tenants.

The Rapid play their home games at TD Place Stadium in Lansdowne Park, located in the city's Glebe neighbourhood.[16][17] The inaugural match on April 27, 2025, was a 2–1 victory over AFC Toronto.[18]

The club shares the 24,000-capacity venue, which contains the TD Place Arena integrated into its northern grandstand, with five other concurrent tenants: the Atlético Ottawa soccer club, the Ottawa Redblacks Canadian football club, the Ottawa Charge women's hockey club, Ottawa 67's junior hockey club, and the Ottawa BlackJacks basketball club.[17]

Owned by the City of Ottawa and operated by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, the precinct is currently slated for a CA$419 million redevelopment, which would replace the integrated stadium–arena with a new, separate stadium and arena complex, orbited by a number of residential tower blocks.[19]

The club's training grounds is the RA Centre, located approximately 2 kilometres to the south of TD Place.[20]

Players and staff

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Players

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As of April 21, 2026.[21]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  SWE Mollie Eriksson ([A])
2 DF  NOR Susanne Haaland
5 MF  CAN Emily Amano
6 MF  CAN Caitlin Crichton
7 FW  NOR Johanne Fridlund
8 MF  POL Kayla Adamek ([A])
9 FW  CAN Jazmine Wilkinson
10 FW  CAN Florence Belzile
11 MF  CAN Sadie Waite
12 MF  CAN Keera Melenhorst
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF  NGA Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene
14 MF  KOR Lee Min-a
15 FW  CAN Nicola Golen
18 DF  CAN Olivia Scott
19 DF  KOR Choo Hyo-joo
20 MF  KOR Jung Min-young
21 FW  USA Melanie Forbes ([A])
22 FW  CAN Delaney Baie Pridham
30 GK  CAN Melissa Dagenais
33 DF  USA Jyllissa Harris (on loan from Houston Dash)
  1. ^
    Counts as a domestic player as she also holds Canadian nationality
    2.

Staff

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As of April 21, 2026.[22][23]
Executive
CEO Thomas Gilbert
COO Stephanie Spruston
Director, Finance & Administration Andrew Walsh
Chief Sport Officer Heidi Bloomfield
Technical Director Kristina Kiss
Team Operations Manager Kelsey Hunt
Coaching staff
Head Coach Katrine Pedersen
Performance Analyst/Assistant Coach Carli Tingstad
Goalkeeper Coach Andrei Bădescu
Head of Performance Nolan Gilmour
Head Athletic Therapist Shannon Weber
Assistant Athletic Therapist Taylor Dalgleish
Sport Medicine Physician Dr. Lindsey Bradley
Equipment and Operations Coordinator Melina Ianna-Lucio

Club culture

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Supporters

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The main fan organization for Ottawa Rapid is the Peregrines supporter group.[24] "The Cauldron" is the official supporters section for home games, located in Section W of TD Place.

Rivalries

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Since the club's debut, it and AFC Toronto have tried to cultivate a rivalry, called the "Battle of Ontario" after the NHL matchup of the same name.[25][26] Ottawa's first-ever match was a 2–1 victory over Toronto.[18] The all-time record after the 2025 season stands at 2 wins for each club and 1 draw.

Managers

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As of April 4, 2026:

Name Tenure Refs
Denmark Katrine Pedersen10 October 2024 –[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Davidson, Neil (October 21, 2025). "New documentary offers behind-the-scenes look at birth of the Northern Super League". The Canadian Press. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  2. ↑ Houpt, Simon (May 28, 2024). "Northern Super League rides the tailwinds of women's sports as soccer goes pro in Canada". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024. In fact, the four teams previously announced [...] will be joined only by Montreal and Ottawa, which were unveiled Tuesday at the ESPNW Summit...
  3. ↑ The Canadian Press (May 28, 2024). "New women's soccer league to be called Northern Super League". Sportsnet. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  4. ↑ Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (May 29, 2024). "Project 8 Sports names Canadian women's professional soccer league the "Northern Super League"". OneSoccer. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Ottawa Rapid FC – A new professional women's soccer team in Ottawa" (PDF). PARG Sprott School of Business Carleton University (Brouard & Litalien). April 8, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  6. ↑ Jaques, John (May 30, 2024). "Everything We Know About All Six NSL Launch Teams". The Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024. Matheson seemed to imply Ottawa is much further behind the other teams...
  7. 1 2 "Ottawa Rapid FC unveiled as name of city's new pro women's soccer team". CBC News. August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Comtois, Martin (August 15, 2024). "Le CF Rapide Ottawa voit le jour et promet un " coup d'éclat "" [CF Rapide Ottawa is born and promises a 'coup d'éclat']. Radio-Canada Info (in French). Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Rapid Clinch Playoff Spot with 2-1 Victory in Calgary". Ottawa Rapid FC. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Pridham scores late, Ottawa Rapid edge Calgary Wild 2-1". The Canadian Press. September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ CBC Sports. "Vancouver Rise advance to inaugural Northern Super League Final after shootout win over Rapid". CBC News. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  12. ↑ Pringle, Josh (March 6, 2026). "New ownership investment group joins Ottawa Rapid FC ahead of new season". CTV News. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Ottawa Rapid FC Announces Majority Ownership Investment Ahead of Season Two". Ottawa Rapid FC. March 6, 2026. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 Jacques, John (August 15, 2024). "NSL Hits Nation's Capital With Ottawa Rapid FC". The Northern Tribune. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Cook, Glenn (August 15, 2024). "Think Fast: Ottawa NSL Franchise Rolls Out 'Rapid FC' Name, Logo". SportsLogos.net. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  16. 1 2 "Ottawa's professional women's soccer unveils name, home pitch". CTV News Ottawa. August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  17. 1 2 Brennan, Don (August 15, 2024). "First Foot Forward: Ottawa Rapid FC unveils name, badge and colours it will wear in NSL". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved August 16, 2024. ...Ottawa Rapid FC will be [...] the sixth sports tenant at TD Place. [...] When he was approached by NSL co-founder (and former national team player) Diana Matheson two years ago, he was running a frozen pizza company. [...] Gilbert, who was taught what he knows about the game by Matheson when they were doing their executive MBA together.
  18. 1 2 The Canadian Press (April 27, 2025). "Ottawa Rapid FC picks up first NSL win with 2-1 victory over AFC Toronto". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  19. ↑ Jensen, Mia (October 6, 2023). "'We need to finish what we started': OSEG and city press ahead with $419M Lansdowne project". Ottawa Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Ottawa Rapid FC makes a house a home at RA Centre's House of Sport". RA Centre. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Ottawa Rapid Roster". Ottawa Rapid. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Ottawa Rapid Technical Staff". Ottawa Rapid. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Ottawa Rapid Front Office". Ottawa Rapid. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  25. ↑ Northern Super League. "Battle of Ontario did not disappoint in the nation's capital ⚡️⚽️". Facebook. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  26. ↑ Ko, Mathew. "Match report: Ottawa Rapid FC routs AFC Toronto in Battle of Ontario". Total Soccer News. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Ottawa Rapid FC Name Katrine Pedersen As Head Coach". Ottawa Rapid FC.
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