A total of 52 League1 Ontario Women’s Division players are set to receive Canada Soccer “C” License coaching courses through a partnership with Canadian soccer’s governing body.

The participants – who enter a unique, entirely female-led course next month – represent 12 L1O clubs and look to fill a much-needed gap in female coaching.

“The overwhelming interest among our Women’s Division players demonstrates the need and interest for more coaching programs for females in Ontario,” L1O operations manager Julie Maheu said in a release. “Ongoing initiatives like this are a priority as we continue to expand and grow soccer opportunities for women in Ontario, we are excited to get started.”

The initiative was born from former L1O commissioner Camelina Moscato and the league’s Women’s Player Advisory Group who launched a fundraising campaign (#ELEVATE) and corresponding website (wsoccer.ca) this Fall. Moscato, a former Canadian women’s national team centre-back and bronze medal winner at the 2012 London Olympics, also successfully applied for a 2020 OLY Canada Legacy Grant that provided additional funding for the initiative.

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“This grant will contribute to more women entering the coaching stream and in turn connecting to players in grassroots, youth and even senior team environments eventually,” said Moscato. “Our society is craving more female leaders and our sport and platform is an excellent way to continue contributions to moving the needle.”

L1O’s women’s board also achieved the target of ensuring a 25 per cent of recipients identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour).

Women currently make up only 19% of Canada’s total licensed coaching pool according to a 2019 FIFA Women’s Football Member Association Survey Report.

The Canada Soccer C License is the first step on the Coach Education License Program pathway and prepares the coach to progress to the Development Stream (Children), Development Stream (Youth) or Performance Stream (Senior).