Decades from now, when sports fans look back on the years that marked the advent of women’s professional sports leagues, among the names and legacies of those who charted the course will be University of Guelph alum Cloey Uddenberg.
The AFC Toronto midfielder is gearing up for the April launch of the Northern Super League (NSL), Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league.
“It hasn’t really hit me. But this is my dream, to play professionally and for my hometown,” she says. “As a player, you put so much pressure on yourself to perform that sometimes I have to remind myself that I am part of history right here in Toronto and in Canada.”
A legacy in women’s soccer at U of G
Uddenberg is no stranger to legacy. In 2021, her first season as a Gryphon, she was named U Sports Rookie of the Year – the first women’s soccer player from U of G to claim the title in the program’s 25-year history. She earned second team all-Canadian honours and was the second Gryphon ever to be named OUA MVP.
Uddenberg would go on to play NCAA Division I for the University of South Alabama and Purdue University, three seasons in League1 Ontario, where she was named Midfielder of the Year in 2023, and a stint playing for the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association.
Through it all, Uddenberg was also dedicated to her education, enrolling in the biomedical science program at U of G. The learning style was interactive, she says, and faculty provided resources and support that eased the stress of being a student in the pandemic. During the transfer process, she says her academic advisors were integral in making it feel seamless.
And on the field, Uddenberg felt seen and supported from the moment she committed to the team under Coach Shayne Campbell, until she graduated in May 2024.
“It was an easy decision to choose U of G because I knew I was in good hands,” she says.
AFC Toronto and the Northern Super League
When you come from a family of athletes, you are trained to keep your eye on the ball. Uddenberg’s parents were athletes and all three of her sisters also play soccer. Her success has been a team effort, she is quick to note, made possible because of their support.
Uddenberg was the fourth player to sign with AFC Toronto, one of six teams in the new NSL. The inaugural season kicks off next month and AFC Toronto will hit the field to take on the Montreal Roses Football Club April 19 at BMO Field. Throughout the summer and into fall, the league’s 75 regular season matches will also see teams from Calgary, Halifax, Ottawa and Vancouver on the field.
With the arrival of the PWHL in 2023 and Toronto stepping into WNBA action in 2026 with the Tempo, Uddenberg says it is an exciting time to be a female athlete, particularly in Canada where professional opportunities were not always available.
To reach her goals, Uddenberg had to leave her home country and her school, a path she hopes the next generation doesn’t have to navigate.
“With the number of women’s sports fans here, there is an audience for this league and there is a lot of talent for it, too,” she says. “The presence of the league inspires kids who play all kinds of sports to take their game to the next level.”
That’s something else Uddenberg knows a little bit about. Among her commitments, she also finds time to coach various levels of youth soccer, excited and honoured to be part of the representation of female athletes at an elite level. “I’m a big believer in giving back,” she says.
The advice she shares with them: “Continue striving in your sport and opportunities will come. The leagues are coming and growing, and your opportunity will arrive too if you stick with it.”