CF Montreal has often talked about its development project in the MLS, but now it has the opportunity to do so with young women’s soccer players in the province.
Over the years, the Bleu-blanc-noir has been able to develop several players within the men’s Academy. To see a Quebecer like Mathieu Choinière, who was part of the club’s U13, U14, U16, U18 and U19 teams, be selected for the MLS All-Star Game in 2023 is undoubtedly the best reward there is.
Now that CF Montreal has taken the reins of Soccer Québec’s Excel Women’s Program (PEF), which includes the U15 and U17 teams, it is no longer necessarily the search for the next Mathieu Choinière that takes precedence, but also the search for “THE » next Mathieu Choinière.
The announcement certainly came in May and support was completed last month, but the desire to get involved in the women’s component goes back a little further. When the Montreal team hired former Canadian player Amy Walsh as a women’s soccer collaborator in September 2022, the desire to do a little more to help young girls shine was clear.
“Amy was the best ambassador for us, as a former Olympic athlete and a very good person. It gave us credibility in terms of women’s soccer, argued Samia Chebeir, vice-president and CEO of marketing and communications at CF Montréal. Amy is very generous in sharing her experience to inspire girls. It’s to train the Amy Walsh of tomorrow. »
Twenty-seven PEF players got a taste of what it meant to wear the CF Montreal logo in April, when they headed to France to play four friendly matches, against Grand Paris Seine Ouest, CA Paris, Paris FC and Paris Saint-Germain.
The least we can say is that the young girls have not brought shame to the club. They showed a record of 3-0-1 during these duels, notably signing a 3-1 victory at the expense of the prestigious PSG.
A documentary series called Feminine was filmed, then broadcast, to bring to life the underside of this journey under the theme of excellence.
“There are several girls who rub shoulders with the boys from the Academy at school, so to have the opportunity to wear the CF Montreal logo was a source of pride. There was a technical level which compared very well to what we see in Europe. The girls wanted to see if they were a good fit, and we saw that they were. It was an enriching experience, both for me and for the girls and the technical team,” underlined Walsh, who accompanied the PEF to France.
Visiting the Parc des Princes, the home of PSG in Ligue 1, and the National Football Center in Clairefontaine showed them world-class infrastructure — and what it may take for Montreal to take it to another level .
“We see it in Quebec and Canada; the next step is missing. We don’t have the infrastructure. Against PSG we didn’t play on the professional pitch, but the facilities were good and the girls can play there full time. You have to have that option here. The Vancouver Whitecaps have been investing in women’s soccer for a long time, and you have to get that investment to see an impact on the Canadian national team,” observed Walsh.
For the moment, the PEF will continue its use of the facilities at the Center sportif Bois-de-Boulogne, in Laval, until 2025, but the president and CEO of CF Montréal, Gabriel Gervais, mentioned that plans to expand the Nutrilait Center were not excluded.
The contribution of CF Montreal
To allow the young girls of the PEF to continue their progression and one day represent the country in international competitions, Walsh believes that the Montreal troupe will perhaps have to stop a little further than the under-17s.
The Canadian team that played in the last World Cup this summer only had three Quebecers, Évelyne Viens, Gabrielle Carle and Lysianne Proulx.
“We will try to take advantage of the club’s facilities, administration and human resources to put the spotlight on these girls. Eventually, I think we need to go further. We need to give them a springboard, Walsh insisted. Not just train them and then let them go. We have to dream bigger than that, to allow the girls themselves to dream. With all the importance we can give to the development of international soccer, we cannot ignore the influence of clubs. »
Walsh is referring in particular to the attempt of his good friend and former Canadian player Diana Matheson to establish a professional Canadian women’s soccer league, under the name Project 8. Matheson would like to launch the activities of this new league in 2025.
Walsh also wonders whether CF Montreal should not keep the young girls from the Academy a little longer within its organization. To continue to develop them as players, but also to allow them to stay in a professional environment, a bit like is the case in Europe.
“In my day, the only option was in the American college ranks,” Walsh said. If you are an 18 or 19 year old girl and you operate in a professional environment, it doesn’t compare. The club said it would not add a team to Project 8, but perhaps it can create something of its own to develop players as was the case with Mathieu Choinière. You keep them here, you train them and you develop them. What will make them stand out on the international stage is the professional club environment. These are three or four month seasons (in the American university ranks), and this is perhaps not the best model if we compare with Europe. »
Gervais, who himself played at Syracuse University, emphasizes, however, that the Academy’s goal is not just to develop professional players, both female and male.
The president and CEO of CF Montreal also noted that young girls have a slightly greater desire to continue their studies compared to boys, who try a little more to carve out a place among professionals.
It is unclear whether the rare opportunities in the female professional ranks discourage young girls from taking this path. But that doesn’t matter, the Bleu-blanc-noir wants to give as many tools as possible to its Academics so that they can make the best choice.
“I feel that girls are pushing a lot towards American studies and academies. It is certain that we do not yet have the platform in Canada for professional development. The girls’ parents ask me questions about American universities. How I went about it, how I made my choice. We want to help them with admission tests or by providing a tutor to help them with English, for example. Basically, the Academy serves to develop good citizens,” expressed Gervais.
For the school year which began in September, 39 players are part of the PEF — including the goalkeepers. During the last season, there were also around forty players, some of whom continued their studies at an American university.