Goalkeeper Erin McLeod is coming home to Canada to play professional soccer in Halifax when the Northern Super League makes its debut in April.
McLeod, 41, a multiple Olympic medallist who retired from the senior national team in 2023, played professional soccer in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), in Sweden, and until recently played in Iceland with Stjarnan Women — a team in the top-tier league based in Garðabær. McLeod also took up a role as goalkeeping coach at Stjarnan.
She told CBC Sports in an exclusive interview that she thought it would be her last season as a player, partly because she was transitioning to coaching.
“I was like, this could be an okay time to hang up the boots,” she said.
But when the Halifax Tides called her, McLeod changed her mind. Every day she started to become more and more motivated.
McLeod, originally from Calgary, has strong ties to Halifax as her older sister and family live there. In 2023, McLeod was named the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility consultant for the Halifax City Soccer Club.
McLeod says that people in Halifax are open and willing to connect while getting more people into sport. It gave her a strong community sense and an understanding of the foundation of east coast culture.
‘Inclusivity is not conditional’
At a time in Canada when women’s soccer is making history, McLeod knew it was an opportunity she could not pass up.
“Everyone says, ‘Oh, this is so great for young girls!’ I’m like, this is so great for all genders,” she said. “We’re going to gain respect for the sport, period.
“Inclusivity is not conditional.”
McLeod boasts 119 international caps, representing Canada at four FIFA Women’s World Cups and at two Olympics. But a lot of her career has been dedicated to change off the pitch. In 2014, she combined with fellow Olympian Adam van Koeverden and successfully campaigned to add sexual orientation to the Olympic Charter.
McLeod has advocated for various issues throughout her career and she intends to continue speaking up while playing for the Tides.
“I have been fortunate to be a part of really great player protests, whether it’s against our own federation, whether it’s against the NWSL or whatever it’s been, and the power of the collective when the intention is to support the greater good, the advancement of the women’s game,” she said. “I’m going to use my voice more and more.”
New role as a parent
McLeod is back to training and in another new role is adjusting to life as a parent. She and her wife, Gunnhildur (Gunny) Yrsa Jónsdóttir, welcomed a baby boy this month. She says it’s another reason she intends to keep using her platform and experience to advocate for what she believes in.
“It’s him, and it’s his children if he chooses to have them,” McLeod said. “When we talk about the climate, and when we talk about inspiring the future, I want to inspire him to respect everybody.”
McLeod joked that she may be older than her Tides teammates parents, but she understands that her age and this new opportunity is unique and unprecedented, and it might encourage other younger players to continue playing for longer.
McLeod is looking to move to Halifax and settle before club training starts on Feb. 1. She says she is looking forward to seeing the different approaches from different NSL clubs.
“But I’m just excited to get started,” she said. “I’m excited to see what the competition will be like. And just excited to be coming back to Canada.”
