Winnipeg executive Christina Litz named president of new women’s soccer league

Christina Litz, whose resume includes executive stints pinch nan Canadian Football League, Woodbine Entertainment and Manitoba’s True North Sports and Entertainment, has been named president of nan Northern Super League.

The caller master women’s shot convention is slated to footwear disconnected adjacent April pinch franchises successful Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

“We’re really excited to person her,” convention co-founder Diana Matheson said of Litz.

“She’s sewage specified cleanable acquisition astatine nan CFL, pinch nan (Winnipeg) Jets, doing a number of different things … She knows nan abstraction truthful well,” added nan erstwhile Canadian international. “And that’s precisely what we wanted coming into this.”

Matheson, meanwhile, is taking nan title of main maturation officer, focusing connected “developing further convention opportunities,” according to nan league.

Litz, a Winnipeg native, worked connected Bay Street aft earning her rule grade from nan University of Manitoba.

She joined CHUM Radio and Television arsenic domiciled of head of business and ineligible affairs earlier moving for Telus, Rogers Communications and yet Corus Entertainment arsenic vice president, integer contented and engagement.

She spent 5 years pinch nan CFL pinch her past position arsenic main marketing, integer and strategy officer, earlier serving arsenic Woodbine’s vice-president, business improvement and revenue. In May 2021, she joined True North, starring nan commercialized broadside of nan genitor institution to nan NHL’s Winnipeg Jets and AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Litz, a mother of 2 who will beryllium based retired of Winnipeg to start, says her profession way led her to nan caller league.

“Really coming present is simply a full-circle infinitesimal wherever I really consciousness for illustration I’m bringing who I am, my passions, my values, arsenic good arsenic nan experience, and hopefully contributing to thing that is really important for our state and for nan girls playing this athletics present — to person thing to look guardant to,” she said.

Matheson says Litz fits nan measure perfectly.

“She gets nan imagination of this league,” said Matheson. “Which, of course, for maine and nan remainder of america was nan astir important thing. She knows nan ambition we person and nan opportunity we person successful Canada. I’d opportunity we’re beautiful in-sync.”

The convention is besides looking to prosecute respective vice-presidents.

“So we’re beautiful quickly present filling up nan beforehand of office,” said Matheson. “And past nan convention and each its clubs support hiring and building beautiful overmuch arsenic quickly arsenic we tin ’til adjacent year.”

While her hiring was only announced Monday, Litz has been moving for nan convention down nan scenes for “months now.”

“We are decidedly a start-up but this is simply a coagulated group of owners,” she said. “And going backmost to my days astatine nan CFL and being very adjacent to nan ownership exemplary and group there, I’m really assured connected who I spot astir nan table, their level of engagement, their skills and knowledge and resources they’re bringing to this.”

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Matheson says nan mostly subordinate announcements will apt person to hold for nan clip being, fixed astir are contracted to different clubs correct now.

“There mightiness beryllium nan overseas one, but I’ll opportunity nan reality is astir subordinate announcements, for astir of nan rosters, are going to beryllium coming successful nan second parts of nan year.”

Matheson says activity connected nan convention is going well, though location is still plentifulness to do.

“I deliberation it’s going to beryllium a sprint from now ’til adjacent twelvemonth and there’s astir apt going to beryllium immoderate things down nan scenes that aren’t cleanable and (are) messy. But we’re going to beryllium on-field adjacent twelvemonth and it’s going to beryllium beautiful incredible.”

“I deliberation perfection is nan force of getting this point done, because it’s conscionable truthful big.” she added. “The important portion is we commencement adjacent twelvemonth and past we conscionable get to turn and get amended and amended from there. But, astatine this point, I’d opportunity we’re really happy wherever we are and particularly pinch Christina coming in. She’s already made specified an effect truthful far.”