The first woman to have her name etched on the Grey Cup has been named the first president of the Northern Super League's team in Winnipeg. Dayna Spiring, a former board chair of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was announced Tuesday as president of the NSL's seventh team when the club joins the women's pro soccer league next year. "I'm going to be very heavily invested in making sure that this is a success, both for the league, but also for Winnipeg," Spiring said. "I'm a proud Winnipegger and I hope that I'll continue to make this city proud when we launch a brand new sporting team in the spring." The NSL started in 2025 with six teams: Halifax Tides, Montreal Roses, Calgary Wild, Ottawa Rapid, AFC Toronto and Vancouver Rise. A 4,500-seat modular stadium system, with FIFA-grade turf and the ability to expand, will be constructed for the women at an existing soccer complex in Winnipeg. The league, provincial and federal governments, and the city have combined on the $8.5-million investment Spiring, who was born in Brandon, Man., and raised in Winnipeg, served on the Blue Bombers' board from 2015 to 2022 and was the first woman to chair it from 2019 to 2022. Her name is on the Grey Cup twice after Blue Bomber victories in 2019 and 2021. The 49-year-old Spiring, who has law and political science degrees from the University of Manitoba, was also president and chief executive officer of Economic Development Winnipeg from 2016 to 2023. "I stepped down from my former CEO role a couple of years ago, and it was going to take something pretty special for me to want to jump back into something full-time," Spiring said. "I started hearing about the NSL and hearing about the women who really wanted to make professional sports a reality in Canada. I was inspired and a lot of the people that I worked with during my days at the CFL and with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are involved in this new league." Spiring said she will take an ownership stake in the team alongside co-founders Desiree Scott, a former national team player, and Rob Gale, a former coach of the NWSL's Portland Thorns and Canadian Premier League's Winnipeg Valour. Winnipeg's NSL team, which has yet to announce a name, logo and coaching staff, has sold just over 830 season-ticket deposits so far, Spiring said. "I ran economic development and tourism for the city of Winnipeg. Our job was to attract talent, to attract investment, to attract major events to Winnipeg, but also to really showcase Winnipeg on a global stage and an international stage," she said. "My experience with the Blue Bombers taught me a little bit about the business of sport, how a community can really rally around a sports team, but also how sports can really ignite a community. "I'm excited to see how the community is able to come together and there's a lot of business opportunities that this team can bring to our city and I look forward to being a part of that." Spiring was in London in 2012 watching Scott and the rest of the Canadian women earn bronze and the country's first Olympic medal in women's soccer. "It was just such an incredible thing to watch and to think that a lot of those women are the ones that are standing up this league and giving other girls in Canada an opportunity to play in their own backyard versus having to go to the United States or to Europe or other places to play soccer," Spiring said. Canada and Haiti were the only two countries participating in the 2023 Women’s World Cup that didn't have a domestic women's pro league at that time. “Dayna is exactly the kind of leader we envisioned helping build this club,” said NSL president Christina Litz in a statement Tuesday. "She understands Winnipeg, she understands business, and she knows what it takes to build organizations that bring people together. As we prepare for Winnipeg’s first season in 2027, her experience, leadership and deep connection to this community will be invaluable.” International sports investment firm Apex announced in July an investment of up to $30 million in the NSL. The league said then it had drawn 275,000 fans to 80 matches, secured 16 national sponsors and generated over $30 million in revenue in its first year of operation in 2025. The NSL has broadcast partnerships with TSN, CBC/Radio-Canada, as well as ESPN Plus in the United States. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2026. Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
