About a year ago, Thomas Gilbert was in the midst of kicking off the Ottawa Rapid FC’s inaugural season when National Bank asked to talk. The Canadian bank was looking to expand its portfolio in women’s sport, with its sights set on the country’s new women’s soccer league as ripe for investment. “Some of the […]
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About a year ago, Thomas Gilbert was in the midst of kicking off the Ottawa Rapid FC’s inaugural season when National Bank asked to talk.
The Canadian bank was looking to expand its portfolio in women’s sport, with its sights set on the country’s new women’s soccer league as ripe for investment.
“Some of the work (National Bank has) done in (women’s) tennis is really impactful and they wanted to keep that story moving forward. For us, a lot of it comes down to how effectively we’ve been able to demonstrate some of the data points that we have that show the growth that we’re experiencing when we were going to market to bring in partners,” Gilbert, CEO of Ottawa Rapid FC, told OBJ last week.
“Last year, we were really talking about projections and what we thought we could do. Coming out of the first season, we’ve got some really strong data points that support how big we believe that this can be and the success that we’ve had in the first year.”
Earlier this month, the Rapid announced that National Bank had agreed to be the team’s first front-of-kit sponsor. The agreement, spanning the 2026 and 2027 seasons, includes in-stadium activations and community engagement, the team confirmed, though no dollar amount was shared.
"We're proud to support Ottawa Rapid FC as women’s sport continues to gain momentum in Canada. At National Bank, we believe in backing initiatives that help women's professional sport grow, increase its visibility, and inspire the next generation of athletes across the country. This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting the continued development of women's soccer in Canada and to strengthening connections with communities through sport,” Dany Elsalibi, vice-president of personal banking Ontario and adviser of banking services and dealer relationships at National Bank, said in a statement to OBJ.
The team sees this as its most significant commercial partnership, signalling that its sponsorship model is maturing with Ottawa becoming a viable market for major brand investment in women’s sports. And, Gilbert added, it’s had an immediate impact.
“It’s been really interesting having conversations since then. It’s great to see that a brand like that has done their evaluation and sees the value in what we’re doing … We’re already seeing some of the benefit from that in the market,” he said.
In addition to the National Bank partnership, the Rapid FC has grown its roster of partners to include Alt Hotels, Le Nordik Spa Village, Montreal-based menstrual product company Iris + Arlo, and New York City-based pre-made meal service CookUnity.
Gilbert said that, while the team is growing its list of partners quickly, it’s important that there be alignment.
“We’re not going to go out and sell 350 partnerships. We believe in creating really strong connections with brands that are values-aligned with us. The way that our fans engage with the brands that put their name next to ours is unique in sport. We see a much higher percentage of our fans making purchase decisions based on engagement in women’s sport and how much and how authentically a brand shows up in that space,” he said.
In March, the Rapid FC announced that Arcadia MapleLeaf Soccer, led by Nick Sakellariadis, Ellen Shumway and Michael Savit, would join the team’s ownership group as majority owner. At the same time, all the existing local owners increased their investment in the club.
When asked if the recent ownership and investment changes have shifted the team’s corporate partnership strategy, Gilbert said the changes are already having an impact.
“Especially in professional sport in Ottawa, fans and businesses alike have been burned by teams not having the foundation required to be here long-term,” Gilbert said. “I think what you see a lot of in sports sponsorships … is that you need that year-over-year-over-year exposure before you start to really see strong dividends and that incredible brand lift. By having Arcadia (MapleLeaf Soccer) join, it really is a signal to the market that we’re not going anywhere, that we’re building and that we’re investing both in the community and in our team for the long-term.”
Sakellariadis told OBJ that the increased investment in the city’s women’s soccer team is resonating with sponsors.
“It’s building on the great foundation that (Gilbert) and the team had laid last year. All of a sudden, there’s more capital to fund the growth over the next years. I think there is a sense of additive business practices and processes that come from our background and the experiences that we bring in professional sports,” he said.
Having been the chairman and principal owner of the Dayton Dragons, a minor league affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, Sakellariadis said he will continue to “translate some of the teachings of that experience to the Rapid and the sponsors see that.”
While Gilbert said he can’t speak to ongoing negotiations, he said Ottawa can expect more business-related announcements from the Rapid FC soon.
“I think it signals that the business case is strong. We know what women’s sport is doing globally and how Canada feels about women’s sports, so there is no reason not to think that the future is bright,” he said.
