Goalkeeper Erin McLeod, 42, embracing challenge and enjoying life in Northern Super League
Having played for clubs in the United States, Germany, Sweden and Iceland, veteran Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod has been around the soccer block.
And while the Northern Super League is just taking its first steps, the 42-year-old McLeod -- the oldest player in the league -- likes what she sees as a member of the Halifax Tides.
In her other leagues, it often came down to players against the owners. Not in the NSL, she says.
"It's more of a collaborative mindset that I've ever seen before," McLeod said in an interview.
Given that, she is optimistic the Canadian pro league can become a world leader and a place "where the players feel seen and valued and heard."
And while the league is still building, McLeod says the foundation in Halifax is very promising.
"The facilities are nice," she said. "We've got a couple of meals a day being provided to us. They're really trying to connect with local sponsors that are going to get behind us. I think from a financial perspective, [league co-founder] Diana Matheson has done the numbers right. I don't ever feel like we're a club without."
"The fact that we're starting at this place, a lot of the leagues around the world that have been professional for a long time are not even there yet," she added.
The Halifax players were training at an indoor complex but now are working out of Dalhousie University which has set up a dressing room for them.
The NSL had a successful launch in Vancouver and Toronto last week with more than 14,000 at each of the opening games at B.C. Place Stadium and BMO Field.
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All six teams are in action this weekend with Halifax hosting Calgary Wild FC at Wanderers Ground on Saturday. On Sunday, it's AFC Toronto at Ottawa Rapid FC at TD Place Stadium and Montreal Roses FC at Vancouver Rise FC at Swangard Stadium.
McLeod announced her retirement from international football in January 2023, after 119 caps. But the native of St. Albert, Alta., continued her club career, most recently with Iceland's Stjarnan FC.
McLeod had been transitioning to a coaching role but says her desire to keep playing was reinvigorated by news of the NSL.
McLeod's wife, Icelandic midfielder Gunnhildur (Gunny) Yrsa Jonsdottir is also on the Halifax roster. The couple have a six-month son, Baldwin Leo McLeod.
"It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done on my life," McLeod said of parenthood. "The first little bit was quite challenging with the sleep deprivation and figuring out how to train and have energy, those kind of things. But he's the light of our lives, I think. It's been a total gift."
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McLeod says there are two other mothers playing in the NSL.
With NSL players in the process of setting up a players' association, McLeod hopes provisions for parents will become more formalized. But in the meantime, she says Halifax head coach Lewis Page, a veteran of 25 seasons with the UPEI Panthers. has been "extremely understanding" about having parents on the team.
Halifax's other goalkeepers are 23-year-old Anika Toth and 24-year-old Sophia Guilmette. McLeod calls them "spring chickens compared to me" but says the learning goes both ways.
Born in Oakville, Ont., Toth is a Slovak international through her family bloodlines. Guilmette is a former Canadian youth international.
"I think the goal is to have three 'keepers that can play at any moment," McLeod said. "Of course, selfishly I always want to be playing. But time will tell."
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'I've been pushing myself and it's exciting'She credits goalkeeping coach Mark Haynes for pushing her.
"He's challenged me a lot already and I love it," she said. "I've been uncomfortable every day in training. I've been pushing myself and it's exciting. I don't mean this in an arrogant sense but at my age and with my experience, you don't expect to come into an environment and learn a bunch. It's just about refining. But I've been able to learn a lot. And aside from the people, that's why I'm still doing it."
Haynes calls McLeod a student of the game "always willing to learn."
"It's been insightful because she's been willing to help the younger goalkeepers. But she's also willing to learn from them too," he said. "The whole group, as a goalkeeping dynamic, has been excellent because they feed off one another and look to push one another, which is always nice to have in your group."
Halifax is a family affair with McLeod's sister also calling it home.
And Jonsdottir has ties in Nova Scotia though her late aunt Gunn Baldursson, who was 15 when her family moved to Canada. A star player with the Acadia University soccer team, Baldursson was invited to a Canadian national team camp in 1987. But four days before leaving, the third-year student was killed in a car accident.
The Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament was created in her memory.
"I think it's really cool that she's representing more than just herself," McLeod said of Jonsdottir, who doubles as the Iceland national women's team strength and conditioning coach. "She's wearing her [aunt's] number [No. 9] that was retired at Acadia University."
There is also talk of reviving the tournament.
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