Women’s sports in Ottawa with Zoe Boyd

Ottawa has emerged as a city where women’s sport draws crowds, sets attendance records and thrives at the professional level. On January 2, 2024, 8,318 fans filled TD Place Arena for a Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) matchup between Ottawa and Montréal — at the time, the highest attendance ever recorded for a professional women’s hockey game in North America.

The momentum continued on August 1, 2025, when 11,453 fans packed TD Place Stadium to watch Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team defeat the United States 42–10, setting a new North American attendance record for a standalone women’s rugby match.

The immense local support for the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge and the debut season of Ottawa Rapid FC reinforced Ottawa’s reputation as a leading market for women’s professional sport. Fans create electric atmospheres that highlight the city’s commitment to high-performance women’s competition. 

Ottawa also hosts major women’s competitions that draw national and international audiences — including Women’s Volleyball Nations League and Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team versus the United States at TD Place in 2025, as well as the 2026 Canadian Ringette Championships — further reinforcing the city as a vibrant stage for elite women in sport.