Recognition for Saskatchewan women’s soccer athletes
The Prairie Premier League (PPL) is getting ready for their inaugural season this summer. There will be a women’s team and men’s team taking to the turf this summer, playing a huge role in university soccer development in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
According to PPL’s website, the league is “a unique collaboration between Saskatchewan and Manitoba clubs, created to overcome the challenges smaller provinces face in accessing consistent, high-level competition throughout the year […] Align[ing] with the growing demand for more competitive opportunities during the university off-season for post-secondary players.”
The program has teams from across the country participating in a travel style league. The U of R Cougars soccer program has around 8-12 athletes joining the PPL program, making many of them new semi-professional athletes! Along with team Saskatchewan, some Cougars athletes will also be playing for the Manitoba, Ontario, and potentially Alberta and BC programs.
Coach Astrid Baecker, is proud of her program and her athletes. “We have created a culture around wanting more. We continually raise our standards on and off the field and look for ways to stretch our players’ learning, get them out of their comfort zones, and find opportunities for them to grow in the off-season.”
The Cougars went 4-9 last season and finished sixth in the Canada West Prairie Division. They currently have a full 28 player roster lined up for the 2026 season, which kicks off in August.
It’ll be cool to experience a different set of coaches, to just learn from them and see if they can give me other tools that I can add to my toolbox.” – Clara Jamieson
Clara Jamieson
Clara Jamieson is one of the Cougars athletes who made the PPL team. The Comox, BC native is in her second year with the team and has played 53 minutes in two games. Only being a second year athlete has meant some time on the sidelines, but Jamieson is ready to show semi-pro what she is made of.
“It’ll be cool to experience a different set of coaches, to just learn from them and see if they can give me other tools that I can add to my toolbox.”
Coach Baecker also speaks highly of Jamieson. “[Jamieson] is a technically strong player who will be able to be a threat in the team’s attacking phases of play. She brings high game IQ and tactical awareness to her new environment. She is curious about soccer and is dedicated to being a student of the game.”
In an article published in Comox Valley Record in 2024, Jamieson stated that what she loves the most in soccer is learning.
“I love knowing that every goal I’ve scored, or that anything I do in a big game, is the result of the hours I’ve put into my training. I thrive on watching my hard work pay off, while also taking note of areas I need to improve.”
Jamieson added that, over the last two years, the Cougars program has given her valuable skills to reach the PPL stage. “It’s provided me with definitely another level of soccer. I think if I went straight from youth to try outs, it would have been very difficult. So playing with the Cougars has definitely helped me with my speed of play and tactical awareness. So going into the trial, I felt confident knowing I have two years of Cougars training under my belt.”
You know, women are playing in stadiums and facilities built for male sports from the 1990s and 1980s, so there’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s slowly moving in the right direction.” – Christine Sinclair
Times are changing
The PPL will be the first semi-professional team for women to come into the province, representing a big shift for local female athletes. Although leagues like the Western Women’s Canadian Football League (WWCFL), in which the Saskatoon Valkyries won five championships in a row, or the newly introduced women’s senior hockey league have had immense success, none of these leagues are considered “professional”or “semi-professional.”
In April 2025, the Northern Super League (NSL) launched in six cities across the country including Halifax, Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. The PPL acts as a new pathway for young women in the sport of soccer to have a chance at going pro in the country.
The NSL has connections to athletes like Christine Sinclair who have been advocates for young women to gain access to sports. Sinclair highlights that the NSL is a step in the right direction for Canada but we still have a long way to go.
“The support still isn’t where it needs to be. The women’s games and [supporting] infrastructure needs to change. You know, women are playing in stadiums and facilities built for male sports from the 1990s and 1980s, so there’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s slowly moving in the right direction.”
The PPL presents an interesting change to the athletics landscape in the province. With spaces like the Regina Sport and Performance Centre (RSPC) and AffinityPlex in Regina and the Saskatoon Soccer Centre, Saskatchewan has appropriate indoor facilities to accommodate such a program year round!
It’s safe to say that Saskatchewan is excited for the new program and how it will grow the game of soccer in our province in the coming years!
