Calgary, Vancouver first teams announced in new women’s pro soccer league

A new professional women’s soccer league is coming to Canada.

The Calgary Foothills Soccer Club announced Monday that it will be home to one of two founding teams when the eight-team league begins in 2025.

The other founding team belongs to the Vancouver Whitecaps. Homes for the six other teams are expected to be named in 2023.

5:39 How Canada’s World Cup appearance is growing soccer at home

The league will operate countrywide across two conferences, with four teams in each conference.

Diana Matheson, a former member of the Canadian women’s national soccer team, and her business partner Thomas Gilbert are launching the league under the banner of Project 8 Sports Inc.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The Whitecaps say in a release that the league will be led “primarily by former national team players,” with gold medallists Christine Sinclair and Stephanie Labbe “contributing to the planning and development of the league.”

“The creation of this league is something we have been advocating for over many years, and to be part of seeing it come to fruition is truly exciting,” Labbe, the Whitecaps’ general manager of women’s soccer, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with stakeholders across the Canadian soccer environment to make this league successful.”