Playing 1st-ever Northern Super League game 'a privilege' for Vancouver Rise, Calgary Wild

There'll be a lot of emotions circulating at B.C. Place on Wednesday when Canada's new women's professional soccer league officially launches.

And Lydia Bedford wants one in particular to be dominant for her Calgary Wild as they take on the Vancouver Rise in the first-ever Northern Super League game.

"The biggest feeling that our players should have when they step out onto the pitch is pride," said Calgary's head coach.

"Yeah, there's a ton of pressure on everybody right now, but if we didn't like pressure, we wouldn't do these jobs. It would be much easier to take different jobs or different paths."

Bedford knows what it's like to be a trailblazer.

Before joining the Wild, she was head coach of the under-18 men's team at Brentford FC and was the first woman to ever hold a coaching position at an English Premier League club.

Reflecting on that experience, Bedford had a simple piece of advice for her team.

"Someone's got to be the first in every situation," she said. "For me, it's not being fazed by that and seeing it as a privilege."

The first game of the inaugural NSL campaign follows 10 weeks of pre-season preparation for each of the league's six teams.

The NSL begins its inaugural season Wednesday with Vancouver Rise FC hosting Calgary Wild FC. The 8 p.m. ET match will be available at CBCSports.ca and on the free CBC Gem streaming service.

Finally approaching kick off is a bit like the emergence of spring, said Rise head coach Anja Heiner-Moller. "We're just ready to get started and so excited," she said. "We want to give the best we have that day and be able to enjoy it because this is a day of celebration."

Vancouver's club has deep ties with the Canadian national women's team. Soccer legend Christine Sinclair