Valour FC

On May 6, 2017, Winnipeg was one of two cities accepted by the Canadian Soccer Association for professional club membership when the Canadian Premier League was unanimously approved.^[3] It was confirmed that Canadian Football League clubs the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were behind the ownership groups.^[4] Wade Miller, CEO of the Winnipeg Football Club, was named as the club's president.^[5]

In May 2018, it was reported that the club would be called Valour FC.^[6] On June 6, 2018, the club was officially unveiled as the fourth team to join the Canadian Premier League.^[7] As well as confirming its place in the league for the 2019 launch season, the club also revealed its crest, colours and branding.^[8] On June 26, the club named Rob Gale as the first head coach and general manager.^[9]

In the overall standings, Valour ranked 7th of 7 teams in 2019, 6th of 8 teams in 2020, and 5th of 8 teams in 2021. On September 23, 2021, while in 5th place, Valour FC sacked head coach Rob Gale and named Phillip Dos Santos as his replacement.^[10]

Valour FC suspended operations following the 2025 CPL season. While Wade Miller explained that not enough fans were attending games to justify continued investment by the Winnipeg Football Club, others, including Rob Gale, contended that the team had been mismanaged, citing limited investment, staffing, and community engagement.^[11][12]

The club played its home games at Princess Auto Stadium, a 33,234-seat Canadian football stadium.^[13] The stadium opened in 2013 on the University of Manitoba campus next to University Stadium.^[14] The stadium is also used by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the University of Manitoba Bisons football team.^[15]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Valour FC kits.

The club's identity was heavily linked to the story of Winnipeg's Valour Road, and named to recognize Corporal Leo Clarke, Sergeant-Major Frederick William Hall, and Lieutenant Robert Shankland, who all lived on the same street and received the Victoria Cross for acts of bravery during the First World War.^[16]

The letter "V" in the centre of the crest emulates a folded medal ribbon and also represents the meeting of the Red River and Assiniboine River in Winnipeg.^[17] The right side of the "V" creates a "W" for Winnipeg, and the circle under the "V" is in the shape of the Victoria Cross medal. The wheat at the top of the crest represents Manitoba's agricultural industry.^[18]

The official club colours were maroon, gold and black (branded by the club as "Valour maroon," "wheat gold," and "earth black"). These colours symbolize the ribbon of the Victoria Cross and the wheat fields and soil of the Canadian Prairies.^[17]

On August 8, 2018, Valour FC Elite Girls (formerly the Manitoba Blizzard) was founded to give girls in Winnipeg an opportunity to travel to college showcases in Canada and the United States, while getting educated on the recruiting process. The team was led by Head Coach Jim Zinko and Manager Trevor Kidd. Training began in the fall, while the Valour FC Elite Girls competition season ran from late November into April.^[19]

The club's mascot leaned heavily on imagery of the Victoria Cross, being a lion named 'Vic'. He wore the club's colours on a t-shirt, shorts, and wristbands.^{[20][non-primary source needed]}

Red River Rising Supporters group first met at Nicolino's Restaurant in January 2017, before a Winnipeg team was announced. The group met regularly in anticipation of an eventual Winnipeg team and now occupy section 144 at Princess Auto Stadium.^[21] The section was known as The Trench.^[22]