How Calgary Wild FC is protecting its players from digital harms.
By Sarah B. Hood
Photo: Calgary Wild FC
As a soccer player, your shin guards protect you from flying cleats. But it’s much harder for teams and players to defend themselves against digital harms. Abusive comments on social media, spam, scams and illegal broadcasts hurt both clubs and players.
Calgary Wild FC, part of the new Northern Super League of women’s pro soccer, has partnered with Edmonton-based tech company Areto Labs to protect the organization and its players from digital harms: both a savvy business move and a vital way to support female athletes.
Areto Labs uses sophisticated and intelligent AI language models to identify and remove harmful content from social media accounts. These range from sexist insults and images to online betting links.
“It takes into account content and nuance, and is customizable,” says Areto Labs co-founder and COO Kasey Machin. For instance, with negative comments on an athlete’s account, “the threshold is quite a bit lower than what the league or club would allow.”
“It’s one thing to engage in discussion and have healthy debates on whether someone should have had a penalty shot or not; what I really love is that they can tailor to the standards that the team upholds,” says Calgary Wild CEO Lara Murphy.
That doesn’t mean only allowing positive feedback. “You don’t get rid of people who are criticizing a call; you want people to be engaged,” Machin adds.
Besides abuse, Areto Labs targets spam, a huge strain for teams, since some 500 spam comments may appear on Instagram alone during a single game.
“AC Milan Women would take up to three hours just deleting spam after a game, not counting abusive comments,” Machin says.
As a women-led company, Areto Labs is a perfect fit for Calgary Wild. Growing out of its beginnings as a non-profit promoting gender equity in public office, it has evolved into a for-profit tech startup working in various sectors, with the sports arena seeing “explosive growth,” says Machin.
The company now operates across three continents, with clients ranging from the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames to the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, Sport New Zealand and the World Rugby Association.
As Calgary Wild FC looks beyond its first season, Murphy says digital protection will help expand the audience for women’s soccer and support female athletes. “We are very player-centric. We want to make sure we’re protecting our people,” she says. “It feels so exhilarating to know that we’re protected.”
Implications of Digital Harms
Duty of care: “Clubs absolutely rely on their players to generate fandom; they have to take responsibility for the outcome,” says Machin, noting that digital protection is sometimes used as a signing incentive.
Revenue: Blocking social media comments hampers athletes and franchises from building their audiences, potentially closing critical revenue streams.
Corporate partnerships: Media sponsorships, betting partnerships and fan trust can be compromised by unchecked betting scams and other fraud.
Legislation: Canada’s Online Harms Act stalled, but the EU already has legislation making organizations responsible for digital harms, and similar regulation is expected to increase globally.
Published October 2025
