BURSTWhen Emma Regan was 12 years old, she sat cross-legged on her living room floor, her eyes glued to the screen as the Canadian women’s national soccer team celebrated its bronze medal win at the 2012 Olympics. In that moment, the Burnaby B.C. native began to dream of a future in soccer. But with no domestic professional league in Canada at the time, her fantasy felt like a distant, uncertain reality.
Years later, the midfielder, now 24, brought her long-standing wish into existence. On Thursday, Regan signed a professional contract with AFC Toronto in the newly minted Northern Super League (NSL), Canada’s first domestic women’s pro soccer league founded by former national team player Diana Matheson.
“I wasn’t sure if playing pro at home would ever be a possibility, but I’m so excited because this has been a long time coming,” Regan told Sportsnet. “And hopefully there are young girls like I was watching the Olympics, that can benefit from this league starting up and seeing there is a place for them.”
Regan is the first current Canadian national team player to join Toronto’s NSL team, and their seventh official signing. Her putting pen to paper is a historic milestone for the league, signalling its intent to attract world-class talent while simultaneously inspiring the next generation of Canadian players.
With four national team appearances and two starts to her name (most recently in Canada’s 5-1 win against South Korea on Dec. 3), Regan brings the perfect combination of experience, talent and hunger to the Great White North.
“Emma is a massive signing for [AFC Toronto], and we are thrilled to have such a versatile player and natural leader on our team,” AFC Toronto head coach Marko Milanović told Sportsnet. “It’s another reminder of how ambitious and serious both AFC and this league will be from the get-go.”
Growing up, Regan developed her skills with the Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite REX program, where she served as team captain from 2016-18 and was named the 2015 Vancouver Whitecaps Most Promising Player and BC Soccer Youth Player of the Year. With the University of Texas at Austin (2018-22), the maestro played 90 games as a four-year starter, captained the Longhorns from 2020-22, led them to the 2022 Big 12 Championship, and earned All-Big 12 honours in 2019, 2021 and 2022. If that wasn’t enough, Regan was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region Third Team in 2021, and the Top Drawer Soccer Pre-Season Best XI Freshman Team in 2018.
Considering these accolades, it would seem an easy task for Regan to transition her collegiate career to the professional lights. Unfortunately, for many Canadians wanting to play on home soil, it’s a known fact that moving abroad was the only way to go.
“It’s always been a known reality for us players growing up that once high school finished, you’d have to go to the U.S. to play in college and then stay in the U.S. or go to Europe to play pro,” Regan explained. “It’s crazy considering how big and successful the women’s national team has been over the years, that there wasn’t a place for us to develop in Canada before the NSL.”
In 2023, Regan chose the European route, signing her first professional contract with Danish powerhouse HB Køge. Playing in both defensive and midfield roles, she scored three goals in 32 appearances and led her side to the 2022-23 league title.
In Denmark, Regan played the traditional European possession-based style. This helped hone her ball control, passing and intercepting skills, an experience that helped her become a lynchpin for the Black and Blue and a perfect player for Milanović’s system.
“In Denmark, we saw Emma become a box-to-box midfielder that can play in both directions, offensively and defensively. She can connect the play well, and she’s just very ambitious and goal-oriented, which I love,” Milanović said.
While her desire to improve and evolve as a player earned her first Canada call-up in June 2018, in a friendly against Germany, Regan hopes her time with AFC Toronto could lead to more Canada caps. Regan’s more than capable — she was part of the squad that earned a silver medal at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship and secured qualification for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. However, Regan remains humble and is currently focused on starting strong with AFC.
“I just want to begin training with Toronto, and keep working hard and developing in this next step of my professional career. And the reason I chose Toronto is because I can see them pushing me to be my best on and off the field,” Regan said. “Of course, I am always pushing to be called up for the national team, but I’m also focused on what I can control, and I’m really excited to help build something special in Toronto.”
Regan is part of a movement not just in Toronto, but with the NSL as a whole. The league is providing much-needed visibility for young, Canadian female athletes to see that one day, they too could play in front of their friends and family right in their own backyard — something Regan thanks former Canadian national team players such as Christine Sinclair, co-owner of the NSL’s Vancouver Rise, and Matheson for creating.
“If I get to inspire even one young girl that it’s possible to play soccer here in Canada, I think that’ll be a win,” Regan said. “I feel extremely lucky to be part of this league and I can’t wait to get started.”
