When Dal Tigers coach Cindy Tye started playing soccer in Nova Scotia in the '70s and '80s, she had to join a boys' team. There was no league for girls. "It wasn't until I was 14 or 15 that I played my first game with all girls," says Tye. Born in Middleton, Nova Scotia, Tye grew up in Truro. She played five seasons at Acadia University and was a league all-star all five years.
At 29, Tye made her international playing debut for Canada's women's national soccer team in 2002 at the Algarve Cup in Portugal. Tye's teammate, Christine Sinclair, put away three goals that tournament despite Canada finishing eighth overall.
After six appearances with the national team, Tye transitioned into coaching the next generation of women soccer players on two teams: Dalhousie University's team—the Tigers—and the U-20 Canada women's national team. Five players on the Tigers' 2023 roster are from Nova Scotia.
Tye describes soccer culture in Nova Scotia is "alive and well. There's so many great people here developing it. As someone that has gone away and done some things and then come back, I feel very passionate about living here and doing what I do here. And I love the sport. And love the province. We believe in our kids."
On Tuesday, Oct. 31, Tye watched six players she's coached in U-20 defeat Brazil 2-0 for the Canada women’s national team, to even a two-match series—in Halifax. Tye says "to see them play and be successful last night was really cool," and describes the atmosphere as surreal. "Obviously there were a lot of young female players, but there were a lot of young male players, too. My son being one of them. And them just appreciating the game and the players and knowing they're good—it was fun to watch. People showed up and, of course, the team having success last night was just the icing on the cake."
Canada has been shuffling players around to test the chemistry of certain lineups on the road to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Canada's forward and living legend, Sinclair or "Sincy," will not be with them. She announced her retirement eleven days before playing in Halifax.
The Hallowe'en game was part of Sincy's penultimate international series in a prolific 23-year career. Sincy made her start with the senior national team as a 16-year-old at the 2000 Algarve Cup in Portugal. She scored her first international goal against Norway and then went on to score another two against Denmark. Since her start, Sincy has netted 190 international goals, making her the highest scoring player–male or female–in the world. The Burnaby, BC-born phenom also ranks second in international appearances with 327.
"I think last night was really special for a lot of people," says Tye. "To have that national team who has done so, so well over the last number of years come here so people can see it—especially young girls. They can see them in front of them. And we always say: 'You can see it, you can be it.' And I think having that visual and the fact that they're here and they were very accessible after the game to the fans and that's an important piece, too."
What Tuesday’s international "friendly" game made abundantly clear to Tye, her Tigers in attendance and everyone else in the sold-out grand stand—the game sold out in a record-breaking 20 minutes—is that Halifax has a built-in fan base for elite women’s soccer.
This game was a first. The last time the national team played in the Maritimes was 2012, when Canada defeated China 1-0 in Moncton, NB with a goal from Sinclair.
Now, it’s about whether the momentum of Canada’s win and their remaining run of games on the road to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will be enough to propel investors and sports media networks to give the fans what they want: a women’s professional soccer league in Canada and a team in Halifax to play at the Wanderers Grounds in the middle of the city.
"I think the time is now for things like that," says Tye. "Of course there's complexities… marketing, communication, media… around getting it on TV. [Right now] there's a deal with One Soccer to show [Canada Soccer] games and not with Sportsnet or TSN, which is sad. I think it's shown: Montreal, Halifax, Victoria—sold out, sold out, sold out."
Halifax has waited a long time to have the best-of-the-best in Canadian women's soccer play here. Wanderers president and founder Derek Martin said in a statement: “To our knowledge, this is the first time a Canadian national soccer team has ever played a competitive match in Nova Scotia, and it’s fitting that such a historic game be played at the Wanderers Grounds.”
Says Tye of Halifax hosting more international women's soccer games, "It would be great to have more more exposure here and more exposure for our kids to see. I think there's just so many good people doing really, really good work. And they continue to do that work. Games like last night's bring people together and opens up more conversation to lay some important work going forward just to build on what's happening now.
"It's almost like hold your breath and see what happens here, but I think there's pretty good momentum."
