Vancouver Rise FC

What Vancouver Rise FC does

Vancouver Rise FC is a privately held professional women's soccer club based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and one of six founding clubs in the Northern Super League (NSL) — Canada's first domestic professional women's soccer league, which launched its inaugural season in April 2025. The club plays the majority of its home matches at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, with the league's first-ever match held at BC Place, where Vancouver defeated Calgary Wild FC 1-0 and Quinn scored the first goal in NSL history. The team was unveiled in August 2024 and is led by President Sinead King and Sporting Director Stephanie Labbé, with first head coach Anja Heiner-Møller (UEFA Pro license) appointed in November 2024.

The club's revenue model is a multi-stream professional sports franchise built around four pillars: matchday ticket sales (single match, season, flex packs, group, family) sold through Ticketmaster; merchandise and apparel including the After Dark home kit and Rise by Moonlight secondary kit sold via a dedicated e-commerce storefront; broadcasting rights distributed across TSN, ESPN+, CBC Gem, RDS, and YouTube; and corporate sponsorships, with 2XU as the official compression and apparel partner. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Vancouver Rise FC Academy, operates a youth development program in League1 BC and supplies the Inter-Provincial Championships, functioning as a player-development ecosystem. Majority owner Greg Kerfoot, alongside co-owner Christine Sinclair (the all-time leading international goal scorer), anchors the ownership structure.

The underlying technology stack is characteristic of a modern sports franchise: Ticketmaster for ticketing and account management, broadcast partner platforms for streaming distribution, social media (Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook) for fan engagement, and direct e-commerce for merchandise. The club reportedly won the 2025 NSL Playoff Championship, and 40 of the 132 NSL players across the league hold international caps — credentials that provide content value and brand legitimacy for Vancouver's roster. Customer concentration is distributed across individual fans, broadcast networks, and a small set of corporate sponsors, and the club's primary geographic market is British Columbia, with broadcast reach extending nationally and into the US via ESPN+.

Name

Vancouver Rise FC

Legal name

Vancouver Rise FC

Website

https://vanrisefc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vancouver Rise FC is a privately held professional women's soccer club competing in the Northern Super League (Canada's first professional women's league). It serves BC soccer fans with ticketed matchdays, merchandise, broadcasting, and sponsorship revenue, supported by co-owner Christine Sinclair and a youth academy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

Keywords

• Professional soccer club
• Women's football
• Matchday ticketing
• Team merchandise sales
• Sports broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from single match tickets, season tickets, flex packs, group tickets, and family packs sold through Ticketmaster platform.
2. Merchandise and Apparel: Sales of club merchandise including jerseys (After Dark home kit, Moonlight secondary kit), fan gear through the club shop.
3. Broadcasting Rights: Revenue from broadcast partnerships with TSN, ESPN+, CBC Gem, RDS, and YouTube for live match coverage.
4. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Commercial partnerships including equipment suppliers like 2XU (compression apparel) and other corporate sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vancouver Rise FC operates a professional women's soccer team that competes in the Northern Super League (NSL), Canada's first professional women's soccer league featuring six founding clubs. The club generates revenue through matchday ticketing (single match, season, flex packs, group, family), official merchandise sales, broadcast rights, and commercial sponsorships, while running a youth development academy (Vancouver Rise FC Academy) in League1 BC.

Product overview

Vancouver Rise FC is a professional women's soccer club competing in the Northern Super League (NSL), Canada's first professional women's soccer league featuring six founding clubs. The club offers the professional soccer team as its core product, complemented by the Vancouver Rise FC Academy for youth development. Ticketing products include Season Tickets, Flex Packs, Group Tickets, Single Match Tickets, and Family Packs, with Theme Matches and Pitch Patio premium hospitality enhancing the matchday experience. The club also provides official merchandise including the 'After Dark' home kit and 'Rise by Moonlight' secondary kit. Home matches are played at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vancouver Rise FC Professional Soccer Team
• Vancouver Rise FC Academy
• Season Tickets
• Flex Packs
• Group Tickets
• Single Match Tickets
• Family Pack
• Theme Matches
• Pitch Patio
• Vancouver Rise FC Official Merchandise

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,018 fans attended inaugural NSL match at BC Place
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 2XUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 20252XU is the official compression and apparel partner of Vancouver Rise FC, providing world-leading compression wear to the reigning NSL Champions. The partnership supports player performance and recovery.
• TicketmastercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticketing partner for Vancouver Rise FC matches, handling all ticket sales including single matches, season tickets, flex packs, and group tickets through the Ticketmaster platform.
• TSNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadcast partner for Vancouver Rise FC matches, providing television coverage of NSL games including key matches throughout the season.
• CBC GemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStreaming partner for Vancouver Rise FC matches, offering live and on-demand coverage of NSL games on CBC's digital platform.
• Northern Super LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVancouver Rise FC is one of six founding clubs in the NSL, Canada's first professional women's soccer league, launching in 2025.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AFC Toronto: Founding NSL club based in Toronto. Direct competitor on the pitch and in the league-wide broadcast/sponsorship marketplace, sharing identical commercial mechanics with Vancouver Rise FC.
• San Diego Wave FC: NWSL club founded in 2021 that rapidly scaled attendance and sponsorship. Comparable as another women's soccer startup-club building a fan base and brand within an established league, providing a relevant benchmark for Vancouver Rise FC's potential trajectory.
• Montréal Roses FC: Founding NSL club based in Montreal with French-language broadcast (RDS) reach. Direct competitor for in-league standings, sponsorship spend, and Canadian national team fan dollars.
• Angel City FC: NWSL club founded in 2022 with celebrity ownership and a strong women's sports brand narrative. Comparable to Vancouver Rise FC as a women's soccer startup-club in a still-developing commercial league environment.
• Calgary Wild FC: Another founding NSL club competing in Canada's first professional women's soccer league with a similar business model (ticket sales, merchandise, broadcast, sponsorship). Operates in the same league structure, salary cap, and broadcast ecosystem as Vancouver Rise FC.
• Ottawa Rapid FC: Founding NSL club based in Ottawa. Competes in the same league structure with identical broadcast and salary cap mechanics as Vancouver Rise FC.
• Halifax Tides FC: Founding NSL club based in Atlantic Canada. Operates under the same league-wide salary cap, broadcast rights, and commercial framework as Vancouver Rise FC.

Regional players

• Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Men's professional soccer club in the same Vancouver market. Multiple Vancouver Rise FC staff (coach Katie Collar, GK coach Erin McNulty, operations lead Gurveen Clair) previously worked at the Whitecaps, indicating close ecosystem ties; operates a rival sports property in the same city.

Emerging players

• Bay FC: NWSL expansion club founded in 2023; comparable to Vancouver Rise FC as a recent women's professional soccer entrant building a youth academy, season-ticket base, and brand presence from scratch.

Broad incumbents

• Portland Thorns: Established NWSL club where Christine Sinclair previously played; a longer-tenured women's professional soccer franchise serving as a benchmark for league-level growth and brand monetization that Vancouver Rise FC aspires to.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VancouverRiseFC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@VancouverRiseFC
• Facebookfacebook.com/VancouverRiseFC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vancouverrisefc
• Instagraminstagram.com/vancouverrisefc
• TikToktiktok.com/@vancouverrisefc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vancouver Rise FC