Something for everyone.
That was the guiding force for Toronto Tempo chief marketing officer Whitney Bell, who joined the WNBA team in September and was immediately thrust into leading the creation of team merchandise.
“We really want it to be a better lifestyle brand. And so I think you’ll see that come across that we tried to create items that people will love to wear every day, not just when they’re viewing a sports game,” Bell said.
The Tempo released their full merchandise collection on Tuesday, including everything from hoodies and hats to basketball-shaped pillows and planters. Toronto partnered with companies such as Roots, New Era, Peace Collective and The Give & Grow for its new products.
In a release, the team said its jerseys would be revealed closer to opening day in 2026.
The merch comes a little over a month after Tempo was revealed as the nickname for Toronto’s incoming WNBA team. The logo and branding unveil was expedited when the nickname leaked on the WNBA website.
Bell — who previously worked in marketing roles at Unilever, Lyft and Clutch — said the initial plan was to have merchandise available as soon as the branding was announced.
“But with sports, nothing is directly planned. Ideally, we would have had merchandise when we launched our brand identity and that’s why we saw so many people saying, ‘Where’s the merch? When can I get it?’ But we made the best of the situation we had,” Bell said.
Now comes the hard part: waiting.
The Tempo are still likely about 10 months from patriating their first players and 16 months away from their first game.
Bell said a general manager is expected to be named within the first three months of the year.
“We’re getting pretty close. We’re hoping to name them within Q1 and we’re really, really excited about that hire,” Bell said.
The subsequent head-coaching search will be led by the GM, Bell said.
Meanwhile, the rest of an “extremely lean” team staff will be filled out in the coming months as well, including a director of branding community that will begin under Bell at the end of the month.
Without basketball to rely on, Bell said community will be the main focus as the team attempts to stay relevant.
“We don’t have players this year, but we have this journey to tip off,” Bell said. “It’s gonna be really fun to announce our GM and our head coach. So really building out that basketball side. Things like merch pop-up shops. We really want to keep top of mind and keep that momentum going until tip-off because it will come faster than we anticipate.”
For now, the team will continue its focus on building a Canada-wide brand for the Toronto-based team.
There are no images of the CN Tower or Toronto skyline or references to “The 6IX” on any of the new items available for purchase.
The drop took place at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT to satisfy west-coast customers, since Bell said releases usually take place at 6 a.m.
Fan festivals across Canada
One of Bell’s next projects is fan festivals that will take place across the country, including Vancouver and Montreal, in the next year.
“We want to show up in those markets and give fans an actual physical activation that they can come up to,” Bell said, adding the events would also ideally include photo opportunities and panels with team president Teresa Resch.
WATCH | Team president discusses how Toronto chose Tempo nickname:
Teresa Resch says the team went through more than 10,000 submissions before coming to a decision.
Bell also teased a soon-to-be-announced mascot that may make appearances at the fan festivals.
“We’ve seen some interesting ideas. It’s not finalized yet, we’re still working through it. But the fans have had some really awesome ideas,” she said.
The team has already committed to playing regular-season games in locations across Canada during its inaugural year, and the Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream will face off in the first-ever regular-season game north of the border in August at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.
It’s a similar tact to the PWHL, whose recent Takeover Tour included stops in Vancouver and Quebec City and set a U.S. attendance record in Denver.
Bell said the Tempo have “looked at the PWHL for inspiration” and also worked with the incoming Northern Super League, the women’s soccer outfit helmed by Diana Matheson.
“They’ve been very collaborative with us. We’ve got really great relationships with them. … They’ve been really helpful because they’re a year ahead of us. And so they’ve been giving us tips,” Bell said of the PWHL.
Over the past few years, the orange hoodie with a white WNBA logo emblazoned upon it has become a trendy article of clothing — especially as the league itself has skyrocketed in popularity.
The hope for Bell and the rest of the Tempo team is that its merchandise release leads to a similar bonanza.
“It’s the first time that people can tangibly show their support for the team. So we’ve already built such an amazing community, but I think it means a lot to a lot of people just to be able to wear it on their sleeve and to show their support. And I think that’s what we’re most excited about,” Bell said.
“At the end of the day, it’s really about building this community and supporting women’s basketball across the country.”
