Benefactor sends Canada goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe to Champions League final
Canadian international goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe is heading to the Champions League final in Kyiv, thanks to a benefactor.
DAZN, a sports streaming service that counts Canada as one of its markets, offered Labbe a free trip to Ukraine to show its support for the goalkeeper after she was denied a chance to play for the Calgary Foothills FC men’s team in the PDL (Premier Development League).
The PDL, a feeder circuit sponsored by United Soccer Leagues, said Labbe was ineligible because it is a gender-based league.
Labbe said she initially thought it was a joke when DAZN offered her the trip for two to see the Champions League women’s final between Wolfsburg and Lyon on May 24 at the Valeriy Lobanovskiy Dynamo Stadium and the men’s final between Real Madrid and Liverpool on May 26 at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium.