Northern Super League nets $20 million investment from sports firm Apex
The investment in the women's soccer league, which includes the Ottawa Rapid FC, represents the first private equity deal in a professional women's soccer league globally.
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The Northern Super League, home to the Ottawa Rapid FC, has secured a major investment that signals growing confidence in women's professional soccer as a commercial asset. International sports investment firm Apex is investing an initial $20 million in the league, with an option to increase to $30 million, giving the NSL a valuation of approximately $85 million.
The deal represents "the first completed private equity investment in a professional women's soccer league globally," the NSL said in a statement Tuesday. The transaction underscores accelerating institutional investment in women's sports at a time when the sector is attracting unprecedented capital and attention.
Apex is backed by more than 100 athletes worldwide, including Formula 1 drivers Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, Italian former soccer player Giorgio Chiellini, and Portuguese soccer player Diogo Dalot. The firm's Sports Growth Fund has also invested in the National Football League's professional flag football league and the BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team.
In its inaugural season, the NSL attracted over 275,000 fans across 80 matches, ranking among the highest for average women's soccer attendance worldwide. The league generated more than $30 million before any media rights monetization and secured 16 national partnerships, including Toyota, Coca-Cola, BMO, and Canadian Tire.
Locally, the Ottawa Rapid FC has grown its corporate partner roster to include National Bank as a front-of-kit sponsor and regional brands such as Le Nordik Spa Village and Alt Hotels.
