A new professional womenB次元官网网址檚 soccer league is coming to Canada.

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

Homes for the six other teams are expected to be named in 2023.

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

Diana Matheson, a former member of the Canadian womenB次元官网网址檚 national soccer team, and her business partner Thomas Gilbert are launching the league under the banner of Project 8 Sports Inc.

B次元官网网址淲e are thrilled to announce that the development of a Canadian professional womenB次元官网网址檚 soccer league is well underway,B次元官网网址� Matheson, Project 8B次元官网网址檚 CEO, said in a statement. B次元官网网址淢uch work has gone on behind the scenes to get to today.B次元官网网址�

Project 8 said in a release that the league will be led B次元官网网址減rimarily by former national team players,B次元官网网址� with gold medallists Christine Sinclair and Stephanie Labbe B次元官网网址渃ontributing to the planning and development of the league.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭he 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,B次元官网网址� said Labbe, the WhitecapsB次元官网网址� general manager of womenB次元官网网址檚 soccer. B次元官网网址淲e look forward to working with stakeholders across the Canadian soccer environment to make this league successful.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 important that women are building the league, said Sinclair.

B次元官网网址淲e are committed to developing something that is built differently, for women by women,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e want to change the soccer landscape in Canada so womenB次元官网网址檚 players can develop and play professionally here at home instead of having to go abroad, as every one of our national team players must do now to be successful.B次元官网网址�