What does it take to change the game — not just on the field, but for an entire generation of athletes?
When Olympic soccer star Diana Matheson retired, she didn’t hang up her cleats. Instead, she set out to build something that had never existed: a professional women’s soccer league in Canada. Her bold vision sparked a movement — and now, her story takes the spotlight in THE PITCH, a new TVO Original feature documentary screening November 12 at Toronto’s Impact Festival.
Directed by Emmy-nominated and Canadian Screen Award–winning filmmaker Michèle Hozer (Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, Sugar Coated), THE PITCH offers unprecedented, behind-the-scenes access to Matheson’s two-year journey to launch the Northern Super League (NSL) — Canada’s first home for professional women’s soccer.
The film captures the grit, frustration, and determination behind a historic sports revolution, following Matheson and her allies as they battle institutional resistance, doubters, and the pressure of doing something for the very first time.
“This is more than a sports story,” says Hozer. “It’s a story of perseverance, equality, and the people building the future of women’s soccer in Canada.”
The documentary, which premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival in September, is currently touring the country with community screenings presented by Canadian Tire Corporation, culminating in the Toronto event before airing on TVO November 9.
With Canada’s Northern Super League officially launching in April 2025 — featuring six founding clubs from coast to coast — THE PITCH arrives at the perfect moment to celebrate a new era in Canadian sport, driven by women who refused to wait for change.
👉 Learn more at thepitchdoc.ca and follow @thepitchdoc_nsl on Instagram.
Cover image Toronto Opener, photo credit The Cutting Factory
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