Northern Super League: Football, Family, and the Mother’s Day That Binds Them

For Matheson, the matriarch of the NSL, the second Sunday in May has personal resonance. This summer, Matheson and her partner, Anastasia Bucsis, are expecting their first child. There is a parallel between nurturing a family and nurturing a league.

Both Matheson and Bucsis are Canadian Olympic alumni in soccer and speedskating respectively - an elite household. However, things may have been different if Matheson had become a mother during her playing career (2005-20). She may not have been entitled to the level of benefits that current Women’s National Team players will receive under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement signed with Canada Soccer on 31 March 2026 (effective from 1 June 2024).