News
Vancouver Rise FC Joins Northern Super League: A New Era For Women’s Soccer
Vancouver’s latest addition to the sports scene comes with a bold vision and a name that embodies ambition and empowerment. The city’s Northern Super League franchise has officially been unveiled as Vancouver Rise FC, signaling the dawn of a new chapter in professional women’s soccer.
“I think it has that sense of empowerment, that sense of feeling,” said sporting director Stephanie Labbe. “I get goosebumps, still, thinking about how much the word ‘rise’ and this team, Vancouver Rise, can embody and can be connected to.”
The announcement on Monday also introduced the team’s logo: a teal shield featuring three snow-capped mountains and a radiant golden sun. For Labbe, Canada’s former Olympic gold medal-winning goalkeeper, the logo holds personal significance.
“Personally, I really like having gold in there,” she shared. “It has a special place in my heart.”
Creating a name and logo that resonated wasn’t an easy task, according to Rise president Sinead King.
“You’ve got so many ideas and you want to get it perfect. You start to overthink absolutely everything,” King explained. The goal was to capture the essence of being a woman in professional sports—to elevate and celebrate the opportunities available to them.
“We feel like Rise really brings that to life,” she added.
The Northern Super League’s inaugural season is set to kick off in April, featuring six founding teams based in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax. Other franchises, including Ottawa Rapid FC, Halifax Tides FC, and Calgary Wild FC, have already revealed their identities.
Each team will play a 25-game schedule, but Vancouver Rise FC still faces significant logistical hurdles, including determining where they will play. While B.C. Place—home to Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps—is a possibility for select games, King emphasized the importance of establishing a unique home for the team.
“We want to have our own home and our own stadium,” she said.
Despite sharing ownership with the Whitecaps under Greg Kerfoot, Rise FC will operate as an independent entity.
Labbe, now tasked with constructing the team’s roster, sees the challenge as an exciting puzzle.
“One good thing is I love doing puzzles, and so I feel like every time I’m doing something, I’m adding another piece to the puzzle,” she said. “It doesn’t scare me. It’s really, really exciting. And every time I get a new piece, it just brings more excitement and makes it feel more real.”
The club is actively searching for a head coach and aims to make an announcement within the next month. News of their first player signing is also expected soon. According to Labbe, the roster will feature athletes with experience in the World Cup, Olympics, and youth national teams.
Labbe, who has competed in Europe and the NWSL, highlighted the depth of Canadian talent waiting to be tapped.
“The amount of talent that comes out of this country is unbelievable. And to me, it’s a lot of untapped talent right now,” she noted. “I think giving these players a place where they can actually pursue these opportunities … really dreaming of this and being a part of this.”
The Northern Super League has set its sights high, aiming to become one of the top five women’s soccer leagues globally, rivaling established leagues in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Spain.
Although updates may be slow, King reassured fans that progress is steady.
“The Northern Super League is incredibly organized. It’s really collaborative through all the clubs. We all want to make sure we’ve got a sustainable and successful league,” she said. “There might be some hiccups along the way because launching a league is a massive undertaking, but we’re not looking to push (the start date) back.”
As the countdown to April begins, Vancouver Rise FC stands ready to inspire, empower, and elevate the sport of women’s soccer in Canada.
