Erin McLeod, the oldest player in the Northern Super League, has announced her retirement in the wake of a season-ending foot injury.
The 42-year-old goalkeeper, the first-ever signing by Halifax Tides FC, has been sidelined since June. She played in six games for Halifax (3-11-3) during the NSL's inaugural campaign.
“This is not the way I imagined my final season ending but I am incredibly grateful for every moment I've had in this game.” McLeod said in a statement. “Halifax has welcomed me, made me a part of their community and given me a chance to be part of something historic with the Northern Super League.
"While I won't be finishing this season on the pitch, I'm proud to have been part of this inaugural season.”
McLeod has endured a string of injuries over her lengthy career, with five knee surgeries and one shoulder operation. She has also had to deal with tarsal tunnel syndrome, a condition that causes pain and numbness in the foot, which kept her off the 2019 Women's World Cup roster.
Halifax sporting director Amit Batra paid tribute to the veteran 'keeper.
“On the field and in training it was inspiring to watch her compete, lead and put herself on the line physically in every training session. I think we were just seeing the best of Erin come out when she got injured in June,” said Batra. “Erin’s arrival and presence in Halifax was about much more than football.”
McLeod, a native of St. Albert, Alta., whose club career had previously taken her to Sweden, Germany, Iceland and the U.S., announced her retirement from international football in January 2023, after 119 caps for Canada. But she continued her club career, with Stjarnan FC in Iceland and then Halifax.
McLeod has family ties to Halifax and has spent time there working as an equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility consultant.
McLeod last played for Canada on Oct. 26, 2021, in a 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand in Montreal — her 47th clean sheet.
She was in goal for the Canadian women's bronze-medal run at the 2012 London Olympics and started throughout the 2015 World Cup on home soil. She was an alternate with the team that won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but dressed for the game against Chile when Kailen Sheridan stepped in for the injured Stephanie Labbé.
McLeod was 19 when she made her Canada senior debut in a 4-0 victory over Wales in March 2002 at the Algarve Cup.
McLeod began her career with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the USL W-League in 2004. She went on to play for the Washington Freedom, Sweden's Dalsjofors GoIF, Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash and Sweden's FC Rosengard and Vaxjo DFF before joining the Orlando Pride in February 2020 and being loaned to Stjarnan.
At the collegiate level, she played two years at Southern Methodist University and two at Penn State. As a senior, she led the led the Nittany Lions to an undefeated regular season in 2005 when she was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
McLeod, who is married to Iceland international Gunnhildur (Gunny) Yrsa Jónsdóttir, has long served as an LGBTQ spokeswoman.
In 2014, she combined with fellow Olympian Adam van Koeverden, now parliamentary secretary to the minister of health and minister of sport, in the successful campaign to add sexual orientation to the Olympic Charter.
In 2019, McLeod launched the Mindful Project, developed in tandem with Bethel University professor Rachel Lindvall. The goal is to help focus more on positive thoughts while moving past negative ones.
Away from soccer, McLeod has worked as an artist, musician and entrepreneur.
“Representation is such an important part of sport and this league is changing the way people, of all ages and genders, see women's soccer, " said McLeod. “It has been one of my greatest honours, in any way at all, to help promote the NSL and Halifax Tides FC, and hope to be connected with this league in some way in the future.”
McLeod will be honoured at Halifax's Sept. 27 game against Vancouver Rise FC.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2025.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
