Tickets, coach shopping and contracts: An inside look at the Halifax Tides' path from launch party to matchday

It's been a whirlwind couple months for Dr. Courtney Sherlock, who is the CEO and co-founder of Halifax Tides FC, but it's full steam ahead towards her club's next big milestone: the Northern Super League's (NSL) kickoff in April, 2025.

“Ball drop 2025 will be the next pivotal moment, for sure," she told The Wanderers Notebook in an exclusive interview. "That’ll be a day for celebration.”

There's roughly 10 months that separate the Tides' launch party — which welcomed hundreds of Haligonians for the unveiling of the club's name and logo last week — and the NSL's first ever matchday.

In that time, Sherlock noted there's a lot to accomplish from both an operations and sporting perspective. Much of the operations staff is already in place, furiously working on the club's marketing, merchandizing and ticketing campaigns. There's also sponsorships to secure and community events to organize. And then there's hiring a sporting director, who will in turn help with shopping for a coaching staff that aligns with the Tides' on pitch vision. Not to mention players: the club has already been contacted by women looking to pioneer in the NSL, some of whom are Atlantic Canadians looking to return home.

Needless to say, Sherlock and her staff have a lot on their plate but it's an experience they're relishing. And they're just getting started.

"The key for me is when you're starting a business is you've got to have the right people around you. The soccer community in Halifax has been phenomenal, as has the business community," she said. "This has been fun. I've had a great time."

So what are the next steps — and important milestones — as outlined by Sherlock to get the club from their launch party to the pitch?

Timelines on tickets, coaches and players

Sherlock said the club has been welcomed with a flood of community support since last week's launch. Her time — and club merch — are much in demand.

"People are emailing, they’re stopping us in the street because we’re wearing our name proudly now, (there's) just so much support from the community. Everyone’s really excited that we’re here," she said, adding the launch event has opened more avenues for sponsorship opportunities.

“It certainly changes the conversation when we can actually show our brand, show our name and talk about what it means and what it reflects for us as a team.”

With her operations department nearly full staffed, Sherlock said her team has pivoted to preparing for the Tides' inaugural ticketing campaign. Their full schedule won't be released until the end of the year but that shouldn't stop people from getting involved.

“Even though the games won’t be played until next April, we’re hoping to have a launch for our ticketing campaign in August,” said Sherlock. “We want to make sure we’re giving people the opportunity to know how that’s going to work.”

Ticketing information will be available on the Tides' website as well as that of the NSL.

Concerning the football side of the club, Sherlock said the sporting director and coaching staff will be hired within the next few months. The goal will be to start signing players in the late summer and fall.

Already, the club has been contacted by players eager to play professionally.

“Right from the first moment it was leaked that Halifax would have a team, we’ve had players reach out. We’re really excited about the idea of bringing some Atlantic Canadian players home. They’re going to be hometown heroes," said Sherlock.

Tides nearing an agreement to play at Wanderers Grounds

One of the most important questions — where will the Tides play? — is nearing an answer.

“We’re very confident that (the Wanderers Grounds) will be where we’re going to play, we’ll just have to get our contract completed with HRM," explained Sherlock. "They’ll get a contract in place and we’ll be off to the races.”

When asked about about potential collaborations with the Halifax Wanderers, who submitted a $40-million stadium proposal to Halifax Regional Municipality's (HRM) council last September, Sherlock said her team's been focused on getting their operations set up.

“I’m sure there'll be lots of opportunities next year once we’re both playing the sport for partnerships there," she said.

Although the Wanderers Grounds boasts some of the largest crowds in the CPL, the 6,500 seat stadium is without flushing toilets, running water and other amenities that one would expect of a professional footballing venue.

Sherlock said having a second club as a tenet helps argue the case for a permanent stadium given Nova Scotia's lack of footballing infrastructure. Helping to facilitate the addition of more pitches and facilities in the province is one of the Tides' long-term objectives.

https://videopress.com/v/uahABSH9?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

Asked by CTV News Atlantic earlier this week, Wanderers founder and president Derek Martin said he's excited by the possibilities of working with the Tides.

"We have invested $5 million in creating a special place at the Wanderers Grounds that we have always made available to anyone in our community who wants to use it. It is a very expensive venue to operate in, however, so while I have not had anyone confirm anything yet, our doors are open, and we would be more than happy to have them join us," Martin said in statement.

"The permanent stadium is well on its way to approval and there are several user groups that are keen to utilize it once it is finalized but having a women's professional team in the mix is certainly a great addition."

Creating pathways

When asked about youth opportunities and creating player pathways, Sherlock said the club is committed to setting up an academy to help facilitate the growth of the women's game.

In fact, she said, the Tides are in conversations with Soccer Nova Scotia and other organizations about what youth programming could look like.

Speaking about an interview with Matheson, Sherlock said the former professional player felt she was lucky to grow up in the Greater Toronto Area as it had some of the only female player pathways available to Canadians. The NSL will help bridge that gap for the rest of Canada.

"If you're a tented player, you should have the opportunity," said Sherlock.

Overall, Sherlock said, she knew she wanted to get involved last year and decided to take the step to help at a pivotal time in women's sports.

"I had the capacity and resources and it needs to be done. We should not be having a national soccer league and not have Atlantic Canada represented," she said.

The full interview with Sherlock is available below or wherever you get your podcasts.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zSbxCWZhTaOMymKFAMabm?si=3U3skR0eRW6cY8A3zygajw

Cover Photo Credit: CTV Atlantic