Kovacevic honoured to make soccer history with AFC Toronto

When Jade Kovacevic ruptured her Achilles in May 2023, she thought her playing days were over.

She had dabbled in professional soccer in Europe and accumulated numerus accolades playing semi-pro in League1 Ontario, including four MVP titles. But with the severity of the injury, Kovacevic, then 29, was ready to focus on coaching.

Nearly a year and a half later, Kovacevic has made history, becoming the very first player to sign for the Northern Super League (NSL), Canada’s first professional soccer league for women.

“It means everything,” Kovacevic told TSN. “It's quite an honour to be in this position, and I recognize a lot of power comes with that role. I'm just really grateful that I get to be in this position.”

Kovacevic, a forward from Acton, Ont., signed with AFC Toronto on Monday to break the ice in the league’s player recruitment. Later that day, Montreal Roses FC announced the signings of Charlotte Bilbault and Gabrielle Lambert.

The NSL is set to kick off its first season in April 2025 with six total teams. Along with Toronto and Montreal, the four other clubs comprising the league are Vancouver Rise FC, Calgary Wild FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, and Halifax Tides FC.

Billy Wilson, the technical director for AFC Toronto and also one of the club’s co-founders, believes Kovacevic is more than worthy of being the league’s inaugural signing.

“She's a winner. I would say she hates losing more than she enjoys winning. Everything that she does, whether it be training, a conversation – it's all centered around her burning desire to be the best and be better,” he told TSN. “We made her the first signing because she's a hell of a good player and we know that she's got what it takes.”

Kovacevic recognizes the responsibility that comes with being a part of the players group in the debut season. She believes it’s the duty of all players in the league to not only deliver on the pitch, but help build a brand.

“Everyone who decides to sign this year – they need to understand that you're not just signing up to play footy. You're signing up to create something that's going to be bigger than the game and bigger than you,” she said. “And maybe you're not going to have a part of it when it is that big, and to be okay with that, to be willing to give everything that you have as a footballer to the game and hope that it just gets received positively and grows from there, I think that's beautiful.”

In many ways, Kovacevic is an ideal premier recruit for AFC Toronto. A prolific goal scorer, Kovacevic grew up playing soccer in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for clubs in Flamborough, Georgetown and Oakville, and has also spent time as a coach for various organizations in the GTA.

“The characters that we’re recruiting – we want players that will take responsibility, not just on the field, but the growth of the sport is dependent on our success… And with Jade, she embraces that,” Wilson said. “For Jade, on and off the field, I know standards will never be a concern…. not just with her words, but how she behaves. Players are going to learn from her, and it's very contagious.”

During her time with FC London in League1 Ontario, Kovacevic earned five Golden Boot awards as the league’s top scorer and four MVP titles in consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2019.

The forward is the all-time leading scorer in League1 Ontario history for men or women with over 170 goals.

“Jade is one of the best players to have ever played in women’s League1 Ontario,” said Dino Rossi, Executive Chairman at League1 Ontario. “She was someone who certainly sprang to mind when plans for a professional women’s soccer league in Canada were officially announced.”

Last year, in her debut for Vaughan Azzurri, Kovacevic netted a hat trick but also ruptured her Achilles. Believing that was the end of her playing days, she decided to focus on her coaching career and obtained her CONCACAF national B license.

Wilson, who was the executive and technical director at North Toronto Soccer Club at the time – as well as the head coach of the club’s premier women’s team – invited Kovacevic to coach for the Nitros. She had previously served as an assistant coach at Fanshawe College, where she also played for four seasons, as well as various coaching gigs with FC London.

Kovacevic accepted Wilson’s offer and coached the North Toronto Nitros League2 Ontario women’s team and reserve program. But she realized her rehab from her Achilles injury was going well, and plans for Canada’s new professional league’s inaugural season in 2025 had been announced.

“I was just not ready to give it up. And as soon as I did hear confirmation about the league and about AFC Toronto, there was no choice for me,” she said.

Kovacevic gave up her coaching role to return to the pitch for the Nitros, where she finished the season with 21 goals in 20 games across all competitions.

Wilson, who became Kovacevic’s coach with North Toronto, had previously known her attributes as a player when he coached against her. He praised her explosiveness and her movement off the ball, with an ability to play off the shoulder of defenders.

But beyond her on-field skills, Kovacevic’s constant drive to improve stood out to Wilson.

“Jade would score two goals in games and be furious at herself for the one chance that she felt she should have converted,” he said. “She would never rest on her laurels, and that's what really set her completely apart from anything else I've seen in that environment.”

At 30, Kovacevic acknowledges that not a lot of non-professional players remain in the game at her age. League1 Ontario is largely dominated by youth or college-aged players. But she was determined to attempt a comeback.

“I'm very much one of those people that if I want to do something, I want to do it instead of maybe regretting it when it's too late,” she said. “You're not able to play the game forever, and just being able to put this final bow on my story is unique for me.”

Kovacevic has played in elite environments in North America and overseas during her career, although none of them ended up working out. She was part of the Canadian youth program and represented her country at the 2010 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup and the 2012 FIFA Under-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

She featured in all three of Canada’s games in the 2010 tournament, but she was in a fight for playing time at the under-20 level, featuring in just one match off the bench at the 2012 U20 World Cup. The national program was utilizing her as a centre back and fullback, something she admits she struggled with.

“I wouldn't say I was great at it. I mean, that's probably why I'm not there anymore,” she said with a smile. “But it was really unique… and I'm able to apply that to how I attack now, and I feel like that makes me a little bit of a different player.”

After her U20 World Cup experience, Kovacevic started her freshman year with Louisiana State University. Despite numerous accolades, including being selected to the All-SEC Second Team and All-Freshman First Team, Kovacevic left after one season.

“I don't think it was a fit for me because I realized I was more of a home girl. Choosing a school that was the farthest away from home at the time probably wasn't a good fit,” she said. “But also on the field, I felt like I was kind of regressing as a player. I was in the gym lifting probably way too much, now that we look back on it.”

She returned home and attended Fanshawe College in London, Ont., where she studied business marketing and “played a little bit of footy,” becoming the first player in the history of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association to reach 100 career goals.

In 2017, she got her first taste of professional soccer, joining Hungarian side Győri ETO FC, where she made more history as the first player to score for the club.

While Kovacevic said the individual skill level in the Hungarian league was phenomenal, she felt the environment was lacking.

“In terms of the education from a team format… I just didn't find that there, unfortunately. I felt like my environment here in Ontario was better quality and higher level,” she said.

She would have another experience at the pro level in 2019, playing half a season with Roma CF in Serie B, Italy’s second division. Kovacevic, who has Italian roots, called living in Rome “a dream come true,” but she struggled with the financial aspect, especially with a house and a mortgage back in Canada.

This could have marked the end of Kovacevic’s professional career. She had previously tried to find a home in the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States, but without being carded by the Canadian national team, she said it was “radio silence” from clubs.

The NSL will provide a home for Canadians like Kovacevic who may otherwise have fallen through the cracks. She is particularly excited about the opportunity to connect with the community as part of AFC Toronto.

“My expectation, my hope, is that… people know not just who I am, not who the coach Marko [Milanovic] is, but every player,” she said. “I played all over the GTA. And so, being an extension of this and being able to connect with people that are as passionate about the game as we are – that's going to create something so powerful.”

As part of the league’s standard player agreement, the NSL offers a minimum salary of $50,000 (Canadian), with no maximum salary cap for designated players. There is also guaranteed contract terms and no trades without a player’s consent, benefits the NSL says rank it “among the top leagues worldwide.”

But beyond a chance to play professionally on home soil, Kovacevic hopes her time in the NSL can help inspire generations to come.

“As passionate as I am about the game and connected as I am within the community, I'm really excited to bring this energy and my style of play to the NSL and to AFC Toronto, and hopefully inspire some young girls that can now see this pathway and hopefully fill my shoes in a couple years,” she said.