Media releases

• What the launch of Northern Super League signals for the future of professional women’s sports

  Thursday, June 06, 2024 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY: June 5, 2024 – R0073

  With the newly named Northern Super League (NSL) officially set for kickoff, Canadian women can finally launch their careers in the beautiful game without leaving their home turf.

  Previously referred to as Project 8, the NSL will debut in 2025 as the first professional women’s soccer league in the country.

  Shannon Kerwin, Associate Professor of Sport Management at Brock University, says the NSL offers a much-needed pathway for women who play to develop in and through the Canadian system.

  It may also serve to encourage young women to pursue their dreams of playing professional sports here at home, says Michele Donnelly, Assistant Professor of Sport Management.

  The opportunity for women athletes to both “continue their careers beyond university and earn a living playing their sport ensures that girls understand professional sport as a possibility,” she says.

  Record-breaking viewership of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and increased attention to qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and other friendly matches point to a “healthy appetite for women’s professional soccer in Canada,” says Assistant Professor of Sport Management Taylor McKee.

  “It is beyond question that Canada has desperately needed a domestic professional option to stem the churn of talented players of all ages to all corners of the globe,” he says. “There is no doubt that the calibre of soccer will be high and if the overall product is relevant, thoughtfully marketed and engaging to fans, it will draw significant interest.”

  The new league presents “remarkable opportunities for women to be involved — and stay involved” off the field, too, says Kerwin.

  Rather than the historically competitive and exclusionary spaces often encountered in professional sports, the NSL was built with inclusion and collaboration as its core guiding principles.

  “This type of environment of inclusion and collaboration is where women thrive,” Kerwin says.

  The announcement comes on the tailwinds of a groundswell of milestones in professional women’s sports this year.

  In addition to the launch of the NSL, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) recently concluded its first season and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced its expansion into Canada with a Toronto franchise earlier this month. Women will also play at the World Lacrosse Box Championships for the first time in the fall.

  “Many of us are reacting to the events of 2023 and 2024 with an ‘it’s about time’ response,” says Donnelly.

  While this wave of interest has been “an exciting moment for women’s sport in Canada and beyond,” she says recent milestones should also be viewed as part of a long-term, but inconsistent, effort to advance women’s sports.

  The Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games being referred to as the “Women’s Games” is one example of a similarly positive and hopeful moment in women’s sports history, Donnelly says, and it will ultimately take “consistent, intentional action to achieve gender equality in sport.”

  Each professional sports league must also be given “the grace to succeed, or fail, without it serving as the final determination of the sport’s future in Canada or whether women’s sport can occupy a substantial place in the sporting marketplace,” stresses McKee.

  Kerwin adds the demand to play, watch and lead women’s professional sports teams should also not be seen as “a trend or fad.”

  “The ability to connect with women’s sport and athletes within these leagues is far greater than anything we have seen in other leagues across the globe,” she says. “If we continue to see women’s sport leagues as leagues on their own merit — and not compare to men’s leagues in terms of their fan base — we can start to embrace the collective movement and sustainability of women’s sport leagues that are founded on excellence, collaboration and a unique value that is not, but should be, comparable to traditional sport leagues.”

  The rapid growth recently seen in women’s professional sport should not be “interpreted as the end of the story,” either, adds Donnelly.

  “Rather, the story must continue with increased, sustained and intentional investment of resources in girls’ and women’s sport at every level in Canada and globally.”

  Associate Professor Shannon Kerwin and Assistant Professors Michele Donnelly and Taylor McKee, all from Brock University’s Department of Sport Management, are available for media interviews on this topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256

  – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases

• New financial literacy grad requirement will support prosperous future for Ontario youth, say Brock experts

  Thursday, June 06, 2024 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY: June 4, 2024 – R0072

  Like many skills in life, learning financial literacy at an early age can lay the foundation for future success, say Brock University education and finance experts.

  The Ministry of Education recently announced changes to Ontario’s high school graduation requirements for the first time in 25 years, introducing a financial literacy component to the curriculum dedicated to creating a sense of fiscal responsibility.

  While life skills and home economics historically had strong roots in the Ontario education system, rapid technological development and financial pressures on schools in recent years saw budgetary investments move to other educational priorities. Now, those historic priorities are re-emerging, says David Hutchison, Professor and Chair of Educational Studies.

  “Driving a renewed focus in these areas is an acknowledgment that practical life skills are important even in a modern technological society, and that teaching them builds a sense of responsibility and self-reliance in students,” he says.

  Ernest Biktimirov, Professor of Finance at Brock’s Goodman School of Business, says technological advances have made it easier than ever for young people to access a range of complex financial services.

  In addition to traditional financial responsibilities, like applying for student loans or managing credit card debt, teens can now play the stock market without the assistance of a financial professional and buy and sell cryptocurrency on their smartphones.

  “Young people have to deal with important financial decisions very early in life and if they make the wrong decisions, the consequences can be quite dramatic and have very negative impacts on their financial situation,” he says.

  Hutchison says the new curricular focus on financial literacy being backed by a graduation requirement will help to ensure the new standards are met.

  “It will also be key that there is budgetary investment, as teaching such skills will require professional development for teachers and, in some cases, specialized classroom spaces, technologies and curricular materials,” he says.

  The changes build on an existing focus on financial literacy in the elementary and secondary level mathematics curriculum.

  “Although the focus of the announcement is on the secondary school level, elementary schools should also continue to strengthen their focus on financial literacy, including in the primary grades,” Hutchison says.

  Merging financial literacy with mathematics is “brilliant,” says Biktimirov, as fundamental math skills are needed to understand risk analysis, interest rates and returns and other basic financial concepts. Teaching the two skills in tandem gives students real-world examples they can apply in their day-to-day lives and makes both subjects more engaging to young learners.

  “In order to make all of these important financial decisions, you need to understand mathematics and the quantitative and critical thinking skills it requires,” he says. “Financial literacy isn’t just knowledge, it’s a habit, and the earlier they learn how to make the correct decisions, the earlier it will become second nature.”

  When considering what to include in the curriculum, Biktimirov suggests the Ministry focus on core financial activities that will impact students most. This includes skills such as budgeting and money management; savings and investments; credit and debt management; understanding taxation and the responsibility of being a taxpayer; financial and retirement planning; and digital financial literacy and cybersecurity.

  For parents and guardians wanting to get a jump start on enhancing their child’s financial literacy skills now, Hutchison suggests talking with kids about how household budgets are managed, including the types of expenses the family routinely incurs each month.

  “Provide your kids with a broad sense of understanding of the choices you make in terms of spending and saving, and talk to them about their hopes, concerns and questions about their own financial futures,” Hutchison says.

  Biktimirov adds that modelling good financial habits and involving children in financial activities from a young age provides them with critical life skills that will last a lifetime.

  “It’s both good for the child and good for society overall.”

  David Hutchison, Professor and Chair of Educational Studies, and Ernest Biktimirov, Professor of Finance at Brock’s Goodman School of Business, are available for media interviews on this topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256

  – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases