UCalgary alum kicks off first women’s pro soccer team in Alberta

“More young women drop out of sport than young men do.” That’s one reason why Deanna Zumwalt is changing the game.

Driven by her experiences as a female CEO, mother, former athlete and Haskayne business alum, Zumwalt launched Calgary Wild FC, Alberta’s first women’s professional soccer team. 

Now, as anticipation builds for their home opener on May 11, she says the team is feeling excited to “kick off history” for young women at McMahon Stadium this Mother's Day.  

“Young boys grow up thinking they're going to be the next Messi, and young girls never had that opportunity. Now we can create that,” says Zumwalt, BComm’93. 

Kicking off history 

Zumwalt didn’t set out to work in sports, but with the skills of a seasoned corporate executive and football-playing daughter at home, she knew she had to lean into this newfound purpose. 

She says she’ll never forget when former Canadian national team star Diana Matheson showed her a presentation highlighting women’s professional soccer leagues around the world — and pointed out Canada wasn’t on the list.

Matheson was determined to change that. She began working to build Canada’s first fully professional women’s league.

Now, Wild FC is part of the Northern Super League (NSL) founded by Matheson. The league has launched its inaugural season this 2025 with teams in Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.

As founder and board chair of Calgary Wild, Zumwalt also serves as board director and chair of the NSL’s finance committee, helping to kick-start women's soccer nationally and locally. 

A purpose-driven soccer startup 

Without an existing blueprint for a professional women’s team in Calgary, Zumwalt credits the Haskayne School of Business for giving her some of the tools needed to turn passion into action.  

“You can’t throw in the towel,” she says, adding business school helped her build resilience to push through challenges. “In any startup, there’s always going to be curveballs.” 

Zumwalt says her mission, to elevate a generation of female leaders, on and off the pitch, has always been clear to her, and from this mission Calgary Wild FC was born.

When it comes to women in the sport, she adds, “We always say one per cent will go on to play professional soccer, but that other 99 per cent will go on to something incredible.”  

Inspiring the next generation 

It’s a vision already inspiring local athletes. Grace Moore, a UCalgary Dinos soccer player, entering her final year studying at the Faculty of Arts, says Zumwalt showcases what is possible for young women in the world outside of sport, too. 

“There’re more pathways opening for women, whether you’re an athlete or not. If the opportunity’s there, you've got to start knocking on the door and take it,” says Moore, a communications student with sports broadcasting experience. 

"It’s only the start, and it’s going to be interesting to see what women take on — on the field or working behind the scenes.” 

Now that there’s a team in Calgary, Moore says the pathway for a female soccer player is clearer, making her and other women more motivated to work harder to follow their lead to play professional soccer with the NSL, as seen with Talia White, BKin’21, a former Dinos player who is joining the Wild FC team.

For Moore, the excitement is apparent, and overdue. “We’ve been waiting for this a long time,” she says. “The home opener is going to be one to remember.” 

 Zumwalt says Calgary Wild FC is looking forward to "making things real” for the young women that come to watch the match.  

“For them to kind of see their role models, their mentors and people they can shoot to be like, that's super-important,” she says. 

The team will kick off on May 11 at 5 p.m. at McMahon Stadium against Ottawa Rapid for their fourth game of the season, and their first match on home soil. Tickets can be purchased at calgarywildfc.com.