Helena Ruken, AFC Toronto | Member Spotlight

We recently spoke to Helena Ruken, CEO and co-founder of AFC Toronto, about the rapidly growing world of women’s sports, and their upcoming inaugural match, taking place on Saturday, April 19th.

By Jay Collette
April 9 2025
Member Spotlight

Canada, as a leader in gender equity, just has to have a women’s professional soccer league.

Helena Ruken, AFC Toronto

Member: Helena Ruken, CEO and Co-founder of AFC Toronto

Workhaus Location: 181 University Avenue

Connect: Website | Instagram | Linkedin | TikTok

Helena Ruken is the CEO and founder of AFC Toronto, Toronto’s first professional women’s soccer club, and of Northern Super League. NSL, set to launch its inaugural season in April 2025, is the first ever professional women’s soccer league in Canada! The Northern Super League has six clubs based in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax. Leaders like Helena play key roles in both managing their own clubs and contributing to the overall direction of the NSL.

A Natural Leader

Helena was inspired by her kids (three daughters and one son) to get involved in soccer. She began as a team manager, then became a director of North Toronto Soccer Club, one of the leading not-for-profit youth clubs in Canada. Eventually she transitioned into the position of president for that club, a role she held for three years before being recruited to lead Toronto’s first professional women’s soccer club.

When Diana Matheson, a former player on the Canadian women’s national team, had the idea to bring together clubs from across the country, Helena and AFC Toronto were an obvious choice for a founding member of the league. “As a former player on the Canadian women’s national team, who went to Europe and to the U.S. to play professionally, (Diana) understands really well that Canada has the potential to have its own domestic league.”

Building a Community 

Founded in 2023, AFC Toronto joined the Northern Super League as its 3rd founding team shortly thereafter. They have put together a formidable team by signing a host of internationally successful players, including Nikayla Small, former captain of Canada’s U-20 Women’s National Team, Toronto rising star Kaylee Hunter, and League1 Ontario and OCAA all-time leading goal-scorer Jade Kovacevic.

It’s not all about big names though; Helena and AFC Toronto have spent the last two years building a community and setting an example for future generations of athletes and leaders.

 “We had an event, an open practice yesterday where we invited people to come out and see our team train, and that was pretty incredible,” she told us. “So many little girls came out and saw the players train and got their autographs and pictures with them. It was pretty amazing. If you check our Instagram, you’ll see some videos of it.”

Joining Workhaus

Helena came to Workhaus by way of her husband’s company, the Ruken Family Office corporation. “We love the location,” she said. “For us it’s so amazing to be downtown as a startup. It wouldn’t be possible for us to afford to rent offices on our own downtown, and even if we did, they would be very small and we would be stuck in our little office. So we love the space and the community and that we’re able to move around here a little bit. And we very much like the other members and enjoy sharing the space with them. So I think it’s a fabulous model.”

Picking Up Support

In the two years since their inception, the NSL and AFC Toronto have both picked up a significant list of backers. Coca Cola, Toyota, Westjet, Canadian Tire and others have partnered with NSL as major sponsors. At the same time,  AFC Toronto has seen investment from the likes of Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse, and also secured Desjardins and Intact Insurance as supporting partners. These partnerships underscore the growth potential of the NSL, AFC Toronto, and Canadian women’s sports as a whole.

And Helena says that this is only the beginning.

“People love to see women’s sports, and love to watch women’s sports. It’s a really, really fast growing area,” she told us. “And Canada, as a leader in gender equity, just has to have a women’s professional soccer league.”

Thanks to Helena and other passionate women like her, that league exists.

AFC Toronto’s Inaugural Game

After two years of hard work, AFC Toronto will host their inaugural home match with the Northern Super League on Saturday, April 19th at BMO Field. The much-anticipated match is a chance to witness the beginning of what is sure to be a historic era in Canadian women’s soccer. Secure your match tickets or season tickets here.