It’s official – Burnaby's Swangard Stadium will be Vancouver Rise FC's home during its inaugural season.
The new professional women's soccer club, part of the Northern Super League, made the announcement with a news release and a video on Instagram Wednesday morning.
"We're proud to announce Swangard Stadium as the home of Vancouver Rise FC," club president Sinead King said in the release. "This iconic venue provides the perfect foundation to build a strong connection with our community and showcase top-tier women's soccer."
The stadium, located in Burnaby's Central Park, has long been a home for the soccer community, including the Vancouver 86ers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Whitecaps FC 2 and TSS Rovers, as well as numerous high-level competitions.
Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley said he was "thrilled" to see the return of professional soccer to Swangard.
"Bringing the Rise to Swangard is a natural fit – Burnaby is the hometown of the greatest player of all time, Christine Sinclair – and we are incredibly excited to see Burnaby residents embrace this team and organization as they inspire the future generation of Canadian women's soccer stars," Hurley said in the release.
Rise FC, which counts Burnaby soccer icon Christine Sinclair among its owners, will be coached by former Denmark women’s under-19 national team head coach Anja Heiner-Møller.
The NSL will feature a 25-game regular season schedule from April to November, followed by playoffs and a National Championship in fall 2025.
The complete schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information, visit the Vancouver Rise website and follow @VancouverRiseFC on social media.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on X/Twitter @CorNaylor
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