Former women's national team goalkeeper Erin McLeod signs with NSL's Halifax Tides

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.

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