Vancouver Rise FC

Vancouver Whitecaps FC, a club with a long history in Vancouver, first organized an amateur women's team that played twelve seasons in the USL W-League between 2001 and 2012.^[2][3] The team enjoyed consistent success, regularly topping the league's western conference, and winning two USLW titles in 2004 and 2006.^[4][5][6] The establishment of a professional women's league in the United States led to difficulties in retaining players however, and the Whitecaps ultimately folded the team.^[2][3] A Canada Soccer REX academy for women's soccer operated by the Whitecaps was later set up in 2015,^[7] with explorations into entering the National Women's Soccer League as an expansion franchise being undertaken in 2017 and 2018.^[8][9][10]

Unsuccessful negotiations with the NWSL, an expansion of the academy, and an entry into the semi-professional League1 British Columbia in 2022, provided an impetus for the Whitecaps to help establish a professional women's league in Canada as a way to retain elite female players trained in the academy.^[11] Greg Kerfoot, the Whitecaps' co-owner, also sought to prioritize equity between the organization's men's and women's programs by offering its female players a professional pathway.^[12] In December 2022, the Whitecaps and Calgary Foothills FC acquired the first two licences to run clubs in the Northern Super League, then tentatively known as Project Eight – a league they helped foster through the Whitecaps' general manager of its women's programs, Stephanie Labbé.^[13][14][15] Labbé and Sinead King were the new club's first two executive hires, and primarily directed the club's development through its formative years;^[16][17] which coincided with the retirement of Burnaby native Christine Sinclair from football in 2023–24, giving Sinclair an opportunity to acquire a minority ownership in the club during her final season of play.^[18][19][20] Its name, the "Vancouver Rise", and its branding was unveiled at an event celebrating the club's launch on 26 August 2024, hosted at the D/6 Bar & Lounge in Parq Vancouver.^[21][22]

The Rise were the final team to secure a spot in the inaugural NSL playoffs, clinching a spot after a 1-1 draw against Halifax Tides FC.^[23] Following a 2–1 victory over AFC Toronto in the inaugural NSL final on 15 November 2025, the Rise were named as the first-ever winners of the Diana B. Matheson Cup.^[24]

Vancouver-based advertising agency Victory Creative Group designed the Vancouver Rise's branding,^[25][26] which employs the colours teal to represent the British Columbia mainland coastal forests, black to represent the Pacific Ocean, and gold to represent sunsets over the Pacific.^[21][27] The club name Rise is an allusion to the phrase "rise to the occasion",^[22] and is intended to evoke both "a beacon of empowerment and progress", and sunrises over the Cascade Range.^[27][28] Three snow-capped mountains, an allusion to the Whitecaps' crest, are illustrated atop the Rise's crest, depicting the North Shore Mountains that overlook Vancouver's skyline.^[29][30] In particular, they represent Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, and Mount Seymour.^[12][26] A "bursting golden Sun" occupies the crest's base,^[28] representing the "rising stars" the club aspires to produce – its six rays referencing the charter members of the Northern Super League.^[12][31]

The Rise sought a relatable brand that reflected both the demographics and geography of Greater Vancouver, that "brings emotions and also has a deep tie" to the city.^[29][32] Along with "Vancouver Rise", the club had also registered the names "Vancouver Queens" and "Vancouver Summit" as trademarks with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.^[33][34] "Vancouver Breakers", one of the names of the Whitecaps' former women's team, was also considered.^[34] The use of gold in the club's colours was encouraged by Labbé, as a reminder of the Canadian national team's gold medal-winning performance at the 2020 Olympic football tournament, of which she was a part.^[35]

The Rise play their home games at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby,^[36][37] the historic home ground of the Vancouver Whitecaps' predecessors. Though a tenancy at Metro Vancouver's primary sports stadium, the 54,500-capacity BC Place, has been ruled out by the club,^[31] it intends to occasionally play matches there such as their inaugural match on April 16, 2025 against Calgary Wild FC.^[35][38]

Vancouver Whitecaps co-owner Greg Kerfoot holds a majority ownership in the club, though it operates with a degree of autonomy from the Whitecaps, including managing its own media relations.^[18][35][39] Alongside Kerfoot, Christine Sinclair holds a minority ownership.^[19][20] Former HSBC executive Sinead King serves as the club's president and chief business officer,^[16][28][32] while Stephanie Labbé, the general manager of the Whitecaps' women's programs and a former national team player, serves as the club's sporting director.^[15][17][38] In April 2025, Robyn Gayle took over as interim sporting director after Labbé went on maternity leave. ^[40] The club's director of partnerships is Rachel Orris.^[41]

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The supporters group of the Vancouver Rise is The Crow Collective.^[44] The name of the group comes from the nightly flight of crows to Burnaby, including over Swangard Stadium.^[45][46]

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