‘THE PITCH’ brings the story of women’s professional soccer to the big screen

When Olympic soccer star Diana Matheson retired in 2021, she set one goal: building the first professional women’s soccer league in Canada.

The institutional resistance, doubters, naysayers, but most importantly the continued dedication by Matheson and fellow players, are the subject of a new TVO feature documentary, THE PITCH.

“I thought I was making a film about building something new. What I came to understand is that this league is a response to everything these women were denied,” Michèle Hozer, the film’s director, said in a press release. “This is more than a sports story, it’s a story of perseverance, equality and the people building the future of women’s soccer in Canada.”

Hozer is a staple in the Canadian film and editing industry with films gracing the Oscar shortlist, an Emmy nomination, and multiple Gemini and Canadian Screen Awards. Her editing on Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire contributed to the film’s 2007 Emmy Award for Best Documentary and the Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.

Following its world premiere on Sept. 15, THE PITCH was shown at the Calgary Film Festival on Sept. 23, where it was presented with the Audience Choice Award for Canadian Documentary Feature.

“It’s been a whirlwind few years—with so many challenges, struggles, emotions, and milestones—and now Canada is home to professional women’s soccer,” Matheson, Founder and Chief Growth Officer of the Northern Super League (NSL), said. “THE PITCH takes me back to those early days and shows how the community and the country rallied around a belief in our league. There’s still much work to do, but everyone at the NSL, along with our supporters, is so proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.”

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The inaugural NSL match was held on April 16 in Vancouver. The six founding clubs include Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Montréal Roses, Ottawa Rapid FC, AFC Toronto, and Vancouver Rise FC.

Hozer, Matheson and Olympian Christine Sinclair will be in Ottawa Oct. 30 as part of the film’s National Screening Tour. The tour is presented by Canadian Tire Corporation. Other partners include Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities (Community Partner); Canadian Women & Sport (Impact Partner); Toyota Canada (Mobility Partner); and Coca-Cola (Celebration Partner).

The screening will take place at the Ottawa Art Gallery beginning at 4 p.m.

The documentary airs on TVO’s broadcast and digital platforms on Nov. 9 with additional broadcasts on TSN and RDS in Spring 2026.