Elise Bell is the second Gryphon to sign with Canada’s Northern Super League
Elise Bell’s last year of university is not playing out the way she imagined it.
On the heels of a standout season with the University of Guelph’s women’s soccer team, she was preparing to return to campus classrooms and hit the field with her teammates for one last run.
In August, a call came that she had long dreamed about but did not know for sure would arrive.
It was the Ottawa Rapid FC on the line, one of the six teams in the Northern Super League (NSL), Canada’s first professional women’s league. And they wanted to sign the fullback.
“I always tell people, things can change overnight, and they literally did,” says the biomedical science major who is doing a minor in business.
A debut goal at a packed TD Place
It was Ottawa head coach Katrine Pedersen who got in touch, having watched Bell in the Canadian Championship; this summer she played for the Simcoe County Rovers.
After less than a week of training with the Rapid, Bell stepped on the field for her debut at TD Place, packed with more fans than she had ever played for. Hardly expecting to roster, let alone play, she scored her first goal. “It was a very special moment.”
Bell never imagined going pro was an option, hesitant to leave Canada permanently. “The fact that I can now play in my own backyard is really cool,” she says.
Bell is the second former Gryphon to play in the NSL; last year, Cloey Uddenberg joined AFC Toronto, part of the inaugural roster.
The jump from varsity-level soccer to a pro league has been a learning curve. Not just bringing her best to the field but learning how to manage life independently in a new city with new teammates while finishing her degree online.
At U of G, she found players with skill and a genuine desire to connect personally, a change from the competitive environment she grew up playing in. The way the team interacted was enticing and head coach Shayne Campbell made her like a valuable part of that.
“Guelph is a special team. It felt like a place I was going to be supported,” Bell says. “I feel very proud to have contributed to that.”
That community feel includes alumni. Bell recently connected with former Gryphons who expressed their excitement about the NSL, reminding her that playing professionally is a privilege as women’s professional sports continue to grow.
“This opportunity was paved by them, and I’m grateful we have such great mentors,” she says. “I am so fortunate to be in this position. So many women would do anything to play in this league.”
OUA, U SPORTS All-Star honours
To see Bell suit up for Ottawa reflects her tenacity and the hard work she put in over three years as a Gryphon, Campbell says. After losing most of her first year to injury, Bell embraced the challenge, using it to improve as a player and a teammate.
“She never gave up,” he says. “It is a real testament to her unwavering commitment to the game.”
In 2025, the team appeared in the OUA gold medal game and the national championship tournament. Bell was named an OUA All-Star and a two-time U SPORTS All-Canadian.
“Elise contributed to our success, closely bonding with her teammates here and together they pushed each other every day in training,” Campbell says.
Watching Bell live her dream while still a U of G student brings Campbell a lot of pride. “It is special to have a player turn pro. I am just so happy for her.”
As the Rapid prepare for playoffs, Bell is focused and ready. “I love it,” she says. “I want to play for as long as I can. I learn so much on the field and I’ve grown so much as a person being an athlete. It feels like I’m living in a dream.”