Winnipeg's Northern Super League franchise still doesn't have a name, but as of Tuesday it has someone running the show. The club announced Dayna Spiring as the first head of its executive team, a hire made ahead of the team's inaugural 2027 season.
"Today's a pretty big day, and I'm thrilled," Spiring told CBC Manitoba Information Radio host Marcy Markusa. "Through the NSL and this team in Winnipeg, a whole generation of Canadian girls are going to be able to see themselves playing professional sports. It feels pretty great to be a part of that."
Spiring was born in Brandon and raised in Winnipeg, and she arrives with a resume that spans well beyond sport. She previously served as chief strategy officer and general counsel of the Canadian Wheat Board, sat as a director of Manitoba Hydro, and was president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg. She's currently vice-chair of the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation. In 2019, she became the first woman to chair the Winnipeg Football Club board of directors, and later that year became the first woman to have her name engraved on the Grey Cup.
"I stepped down from my CEO role [with Economic Development Winnipeg] a couple of years ago and I knew it was going to take something pretty incredible to bring me back to a full-time role. And this is it," Spiring said. "This just seemed like that next big leap for me."
Winnipeg's Path Into the NSL
The Northern Super League kicked off in 2025 with six teams: Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, AFC Toronto and Vancouver Rise FC. Winnipeg was confirmed as the league's seventh franchise, and its first expansion side, on July 14.
The club was co-founded by Desiree Scott, the Winnipeg-born retired professional player and Olympic champion, alongside Rob Gale, who was the first head coach and general manager of the now-defunct Winnipeg Valour FC men's team.
Earlier this month, the still-unnamed club revealed plans for a new 4,500-seat stadium at the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex on Waverley Street. Spiring pointed to that purpose-built venue as central to the team's chances of success.
"We're going to have to really rally this community around this team," she said.
Learning From Valour's Run
Winnipeg has seen professional soccer come and go before. Valour FC, the city's second men's professional club, played seven seasons in the Canadian Premier League from May 2017 until operations were suspended in November 2025. Before that, the Winnipeg Fury competed in the Canadian Soccer League, later renamed the Canadian National Soccer League, from 1987 to 1993.
Spiring believes the new women's team will offer something different. "You're going to see incredible female athletes from around the world competing here ... and unlike the situation that Valour had [using the Blue Bombers' football stadium], we're going to have a stadium that is made for soccer, and it's going to be smaller, more intimate," she said.
She also suggested fans could be watching future Olympians. "We're going to get the highest level of soccer in the country right here in Winnipeg. Women's sport is having a moment, and it's time for us to join in."
As for what the club will actually be called, Spiring said the details are still being finalized, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks.
